30074/1A BLIND Melksham woman who wants to take part in a Jewish ceremony has hit a stumbling block in her attempts to learn the set passages of Hebrew.

Heather Tucker, of Hampshire Place, was sent audio tapes by her local rabbi after asking to take part in a bat mitzvah.

Being completely blind, Miss Tucker has been forced to learn every passage off by heart to complete the ceremony.

But since being sent the tapes Miss Tucker, 43, says she has struggled with the pronunciation and is appealing for help just weeks before the big day.

"I really want to do it but I want help. I have sent an email to the rabbi and he is looking for someone to help me," she said.

"There is no way

I can learn that

from the cassette and say it parrot-fashion all on my own by April 30.

"Most people would simply read back the passages. I have to memorise it."

A bat mitzvah, the female equivalent of a bar mitzvah, is a Jewish coming of age ceremony for girls aged 12 and over.

Rabbi Francis Ronald Berry, of the Bristol and West Progressive congregation in Bristol, said: "I think it's very courageous of her to attempt this and it's an unusual thing to do."