SIGHTLINE
Spring 2013
So much has happened this first quarter of 2013, we don’t know where the time has gone! We hope you have managed to keep warm during these cold months and with spring upon us, we are all wishing for warmer weather!
Sightline Contents
News from Support 4 Sight - 2 -
Petition Update - 2 -
Membership Renewal - 3 -
Spring Dance - 3 -
Outreach - 4 -
Eccentric Viewing and Steady Eye Techniques - 5 -
Computer training - 8 -
Support 4 Sight Social Activities - 9 -
Coffee Mornings - 9 -
Social Trips - 10 -
Support 4 Sight Past Outings and Events - 11 -
National Update - 13 -
Accessibility - 16 -
Useful Information - 15 -
Numbers You Might Find Useful - 15 -
Spotlight on New Equipment - 16 -
Demonstration Low Vision Aids - 18 -
Donated Items for Sale - 19 -
Contact us - 22 -
News from Support 4 Sight
Petition Update – We’ve had some good news!
Support 4 Sight can officially announce that it will be receiving its grant from Essex County Council, thanks to the support from people in Saffron Walden and the surrounding towns and villages.
We cannot thank you all enough for all the support we received with the petition. With 1,300 signatures, in just two months, from both the online and paper versions of the petition, the huge impact of the rush of support from local communities has been breath-taking. The grant is only for this year, so we still need to convince the council to fund us in future years!
Support 4 Sight’s new wheels!
To make transport for social trips, coffee mornings and our other services easier, we now have a Support 4 Sight car! The fully branded Vauxhall Zafira will help us to provide much needed transport for our services while also encouraging more people to use the charity’s services and promoting the charity as a whole.
Thank you to the Jubilee fund from Uttlesford District Council, and Awards For All!
Membership Renewal
Just a gentle reminder that membership renewals are due by 1st April. A membership form is included with your newsletter; let us know if you need help completing the form. (Please return your forms by the 15th April 2013).
This year our membership fee is £11 or £12 for a couple. We would be grateful if you could forward it to us as soon as you can. If you are unsure if you have paid membership, please call the centre and we can look this up for you.
We have heard that a neighbouring sight loss charity now has to charge £20 per person to give advice and £50 for a home visit. So your membership means so much to us and helps towards keeping our advice and support services free for everyone!
Personnel Update
We have some new part-time staff joining us at Support 4 Sight! Please join us in welcoming Sarah Henson, who will be looking after referrals of newly diagnosed visually impaired people, and Hanna Starr, who will be working on developing our social enterprise. Jake Basford joins the team to look after our public relations, to help raise our profile in the local media.
Welcome Volunteers
Support 4 Sight would like to welcome Ana Terry and Wendy Monger, new volunteers in Harlow and also Brenda Blofeld and Chelsea Warden, new volunteers in Braintree.
They will all be undertaking valuable work supporting and giving advice at the Harlow & Braintree Eye Clinics, our Outreach service and other volunteering opportunities in their areas. Welcome aboard!
Spring Dance
Unfortunately the Spring Dance for this year has had to be cancelled.
We hope to re-launch the dance next year, better than ever! If you would be interested in coming along it is never too early to let us know. Please contact Margaret at the centre if you would like to join us in 2014!
Shrove Tuesday
A competition was held on Shrove Tuesday, 12th February to flip pancakes as many times as possible without dropping one. The adult winner managed to flip the pancakes 49 times and the child winner managed 11! The day raised £27.72. Thank you to Christine Lelliott, Ros Hyde, Rebecca Adis and Jessica Adis for all their efforts on the day!
Guide Dog Open day
Support 4 Sight is holding an Open Day with Guide Dogs for the Blind Association at our resource centre in Saffron Walden on Wednesday 27th March 2013. The day is open to everyone and we look forward to seeing you there! If you would like to learn more about Guide Dogs or are interested in having a guide dog, come along.
We’ll also focus on the My Guide project. If you need support getting out and about – here’s your chance to learn more and be teamed up with a sighted guide. If you feel you would like assistance in regaining your confidence and overcoming isolation, whether it’s walking to the nearest shop or taking a bus to the hospital, we have trained volunteers who could support you. Please contact the centre for more information.
Action for Blind People Mobile Unit
The Action for Blind People Mobile Unit is coming to town! The bus will be visiting from 10am until 4pm at the Market Square, Saffron Walden on 23rd July, in the Museum Lay-by, Braintree on 24th July and The Market, Harlow on 25th July. Action for Blind People will be there to show a wide range of equipment kept on the bus as well as provide support and information. Anyone is welcome to come along, just drop by and they will be happy to help!
Outreach
If you are unable to get to Support4Sight’s Resource Centre in Saffron Walden, then help is on hand for you if you live in Harlow, Braintree, Dunmow or Stansted. Support4Sight will be holding Outreach information Points where you can speak to trained staff and volunteers, who can inform you about the many services that we provide as well as supply you with information, support and advice.
Outreach Dates
For those people who find it hard to travel to our Resource Centre, we run information mornings as part of our outreach programme. Our staff and volunteers are on hand in Stansted, Great Dunmow, Braintree and Harlow, so if you live close by and need our help please consider coming along to one of our outreach sessions. Below are the dates we have planned for our outreach information mornings:
Harlow Library, Fridays 10:30am – 1:00pm:
12th April
10th May
14th June
Braintree Community Hospital, Thursdays 10:30am – 1:00pm:
21st March 4th April 18th April 2nd May
16th May 30th May 4th July 1st Aug
15th Aug 5th Sept 19th Sept 3rd Oct
17th Oct 31st Oct 21st Nov 5th Dec
19th Dec
Great Dunmow and Stansted dates will be available at the centre once arranged!
Eccentric Viewing and Steady Eye Techniques
Eccentric viewing and steady eye are techniques that can help a person with macular degeneration to use their residual vision more effectively. It is especially useful for people who have macular degeneration affecting both their eyes.
The techniques do not work for everyone and will not make your sight as good as it was before the onset of macular degeneration, but for many people they can make a very significant difference.
With time and practice these skills can be developed to make reading a little easier. Many people find it easier to walk about and to recognise faces and do everyday tasks once they have been trained. For more information contact Paul at the Resource Centre.
Computer training
Support 4 Sight runs a computer training service in its Saffron Walden resource centre and we are looking for more people to sign up! Using a computer is possible for anyone with a little help and that is what we’re here to do. Would you like to be able to write letters, view pictures, send emails or search the internet using a computer? Why not call in for more information on 01799 523700. The service is free and the training sessions can be held on days to suit you!
We are hoping to start a similar service in Harlow, if this is something you would be interested in please call to let us know.
Collection Boxes
Support 4 Sight has had a lot of success with getting our collection boxes out into shops in the local community but we are still looking to get more out there!
Do you have a local shop that would be willing to take one of our collection boxes? Would you know anywhere that we may have missed when getting the boxes out? Then we would like to hear from you!
Please contact the Resource Centre if you can help us in any way.
Recycling
If you have any old jewellery, mobiles, stamps or printer cartridges that you are looking to dispose of, consider passing them to us to recycle. Everything we recycle helps to raise funds for Support 4 Sight and goes towards the many services we provide.
Any of the items above you have for recycling can be dropped off at our Resource Centre in Saffron Walden.
eBay
We are currently trying to raise funds for services by selling items on eBay. If you have any items old or new which can be donated for sale let us know. We are looking for donations of clothes, household items, ornaments, unwanted gifts and padded envelopes gratefully received!
Website checking
Support 4 Sight has started a website checking service aimed at organisations who would like to make their website more accessible or test its current accessibility. We will look at the business’ website and produce a report for the organisation that highlights problems or suggested improvements. Do you know anyone who would like this service? Please ask them to contact us at the details below.
Are you an internet user? Have you tried using websites but encountered the same problems while on the internet? We would like to hear from you! If there are any problems you regularly encounter while using the internet please let us know. It would be really useful and we would incorporate it into our website checking service.
For more information on this service or to provide us with your experiences please contact Hanna by calling 01799 523700 or by email on .
Sightline Advertising
We are offering local businesses the chance to advertise in Sightline. If you know of any businesses that would perhaps like to take advantage of this please ask them to call Hanna on 01799 523700 or email or more information.
Equality & Diversity Training
Support 4 Sight has launched a Disability Awareness Training programme, aimed at local businesses, to make employees feel more confident when dealing with people with disabilities. We are lucky enough to have the endorsement of Channel 4’s Mr Drew (Educating Essex) and plans are in place to extend this to schools, GP Surgeries and Councils throughout Essex. So, if you have experienced bad service and believe a local organisation could benefit, please let us know.
Emergency Information Scheme
This is a voluntary scheme to provide the Emergency Service with vital details of any illness or allergy that you may suffer from, medication that you may be taking and the name of a person to be contacted in case of an emergency.
Your information is stored in a plastic container which is kept in your fridge. Two special stickers are then placed on your fridge and inside your front door which alert the Emergency Services.
This is a very useful service and if you would like to take advantage of it please contact Paul at the Resource Centre.
Lasting Gifts to Future Generations
If you are considering putting your affairs in order, a will is the best way of ensuring your wishes are respected. Once you've made provision for your family and your friends in your will, please consider leaving Support 4 Sight a small gift. In this way you will help us to continue supporting blind and partially sighted people for many years to come.
Support 4 Sight Events and Activities
Cake Stall
We will be having a cake stall outside of Boots in Saffron Walden on Saturday 20th April. This will be from 9am until 12pm – Anyone able to spare a few hours for this please contact the centre. Donations of cakes for this event would be very welcome!
Book Stall
Come and visit us on 9th April when the book stall will be up and running again! Lots of new books have been donated during the winter months so there should be something for everyone. Following bookstalls will be held the 2nd Tuesday of every month. The bookstall is dependent on availability of volunteers so it is best to check before coming along if you are coming far.
We have had a look around the resource centre and found some donated items which have been cleaned and will be on sale at the book stall. Please feel free to come by just in case there is something you would like!
Harlow Mini Exhibition
Support 4 Sight is holding a mini exhibition at the Harlow Central Library on 23rd May 10am-2:30pm. Also at the exhibition will be Optelec with a range of electronic video magnifiers, British Wireless for the Blind Fund with a selection of radios, Dolphin Computer Access demonstrating accessible software, Harlow Talking Newspaper and Guide Dogs for the Blind with information about the My Guide service. The exhibition is open to everyone and we look forward to seeing you there!
Coffee Mornings
Support 4 Sight’s coffee mornings in Saffron Walden and now, more recently, in Great Dunmow are very well attended and much appreciated by our members. If you haven’t yet attended one, do come along to join in for coffee and a chat. For more information call Vanessa on 01799 523700.
Forthcoming Coffee Mornings:
Coffee mornings will be held monthly in Saffron Walden on Tuesdays at the Bowls Club, Abbey Lane, 10:30am till noon.