A history of Edinburgh employer Blindcraft

BLINDCRAFT - originally called the Royal Blind Asylum - was founded in Edinburgh in 1793.

The charity moved into its current Peffer Place factory in 1972.

More than half of its staff are blind or disabled.

A contract with John Lewis contributed to sales breaking through the 2 million barrier in 2008-9 - but they declined to 1.56m last year. w

Similar operations are run elsewhere in the country, and some have also come into difficulties.

Furniture manufacturer Glencraft in Aberdeen went into liquidation in 2009 - only to be reopened earlier this year following a rescue package from the Scottish Government and a local energy firm.