Magnify Magazine
Winter 2015 / 16
Enabling people affected by sight loss to lead fulfilling lives at work,
at home and in the community.
Welcome
“Welcome to the Winter 2015/2016
edition of the brand new Macclesfield Eye Society
quarterly newsletter ‘Magnify Magazine’.
In this edition you will find updates on our work with people in East Cheshire affected by sight loss, as well as features about
specific sight conditions, resources and equipment information, and a few extras! Having recently joined Macclesfield Eye
Society (in May this year) I have very much enjoyed getting to know some of our clients and friends, and am keen to help
develop and improve our services working with visually impaired people in our area. I hope you will enjoy hearing about some of the developments and services from Macclesfield Eye Society, please get in touch if you would like to get involved or have any questions about what we’re up to!”
Lucy Derges, Charity Officer
MONDAY OPENING
We were thrilled to launch Monday opening for the Resource Centre in addition to Tuesday to Friday from September 2015. Please note our Resource Centre open hours are now 9.00am until 1:30pm, Monday to Friday.
News
WELCOMING HELEN
In August we were delighted to welcome new staff member Helen van der Veken to the Macclesfield Eye Society team.
Helen’s role as Activities and Resources Coordinator means she now looks after the Resource Centre and Wireless for the Blind initiative and equipment, as well as running our Macclesfield Thursday social group and supporting the Congleton VIPs social group. Helen is also developing some new regular and one off activities. Do get in touch with Helen if you have any questions
about getting involved with visually accessible activities or have ideas for new activities!
CELEBRATING 140 YEARS
As you may already know, this year Macclesfield Eye Society celebrates its 140th birthday! In May this year we held a celebration event at Macclesfield Town Hall, combining our annual Grand Draw, awards and thank-you acknowledgements
with an exhibition of over 30 sight loss organisations and equipment suppliers. CONTINUED OVERLEAF...
News
More than 150 friends and members of Macclesfield Eye Society attended the event and we received several requests to repeat the event again soon. Thank you so much to everyone who helped to organise and run the day, and to everyone who attended!
Watch this space for news of a similar event in 2016!
I.T. SUPPORT &
‘ONLINE TODAY’
In August we held a one off ‘Online Today’ technology taster session upstairs at Shopmobility on Churchill Way, where I.T. specialist Andrew Coleman from Action for Blind People / RNIB came over from Liverpool to talk to participants about the
accessibility functions of phones, tablets and laptops. The session was so popular we had to split into two sessions, and
we are holding another session in October, with more dates over the winter and New Year to be confirmed!
Please get in touch to find out the next Online Today session date if you’re interested in attending this hands on taster session looking at iPads and other visually accessible technology. In addition to the Online Today sessions, we have now launched an I.T. Support Drop-in Session at the Resource Centre. Every week from the beginning of October, you are welcome to come along to the Resource Centre on Wednesdays between 10:30am and 12:30pm with your technology questions (bring your phone, tablet or laptop with you) and we will do our best to advise you or refer you on for more specialist support from one of our expert volunteers.
Our Services
At Macclesfield Eye Society we offer a number of services for people affected by sight loss, as well
as advice and support on a more informal basis. Here’s a brief overview of what we currently do:
AT HOME
✔ Equipment advice, demonstrations and recommendations at our Resource Centre in central Macclesfield.
✔ Referrals to our Independent Living Coordinator from Action
for Blind People/RNIB who can arrange to visit you at
home for a discussion about your needs, including offering support and advice with benefits.
✔ Volunteer led Befriending service offering regular contact and emotional support for people affected by sight loss who are predominantly housebound.
AT WORK
✔ Advice and support with I.T. and technology.
✔ Information and support with finance and benefits for people in work, unemployed or retired.
✔ Helping employers understand the needs and rights of employees affected by sight loss.
IN THE COMMUNITY
✔ Information and support at Macclesfield Hospital, including a regular presence at the Eye Clinic on Wednesdays - in the quiet room just outside the Eye Clinic main waiting room.
✔ Regular and one-off social groups and activities, currently in Macclesfield and Congleton but please get in touch if you are interested in social groups outside of these areas too as our activities are under development and will soon extend!
✔ Our geographic area covers Macclesfield, Congleton, Knutsford, Alderley Edge, Wilmslow, Prestbury, Poynton, Disley, Bollington. Within these areas (and beyond where appropriate) we advocate on behalf of visually impaired people facing challenges in the community, e.g. shared space and pavement parking.
Our Services
Please get in touch for more detail on any of our services and how we can help you.
For the latest up to date news follow us on Twitter @MaccEyeSociety or like our Facebook page,
facebook.com/MaccEyeSociety
What’s On
Regular Activities:
WEDNESDAY:
Hospital Information Point
9:00 am – 12:00 noon
Macclesfield Hospital.
I.T. Drop-in Session
10:30 am – 12:30 pm
Resource Centre, Macclesfield.
Craft Group
11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Shopmobility, Macclesfield.
Congleton VIPs Social Group
Fortnightly, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
New Life Church, Congleton.
THURSDAY:
Macclesfield Social Group
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Newbiggin Way, Macclesfield.
Notable Dates:
Online Today Session
Shopmobility, Macclesfield. Friday 23rd Oct.
Table Top Sale
Congleton VIPs Social Group. Wednesday 28th Oct.
Table Top Sale
Macclesfield Social Group. Thursday 19th Nov.
Charities Bazaar
St Michael’s Church, Macclesfield. Saturday 21st Nov.
Christmas Celebration
Congleton VIPs Social Group. Wednesday 9th Dec.
Christmas Celebration
Macclesfield Social Group. Friday 11th Dec.
Closed for Christmas
The Resource Centre is closed until January 4th
Are you a book worm?
We are planning to launch a VI book club early in the New Year, but we need to know how many people are interested in taking part! Get in touch with Helen to express your interest and to let us know what listening devices you currently use for audio books or where you source large print books, thank you!
MACCLESFIELD TALKING
NEWSPAPER
The Macclesfield & District Talking Newspaper for the Blind produces a weekly recording of local news and magazine items which is sent out to blind and visually impaired people living in
Macclesfield, Bollington, Poynton, Prestbury and surrounding districts, or who have links with the area.
The Macclesfield Talking Newspaper is sent out each week by
post to our listeners who then return the MP3 memory sticks
to us (in the special pouch provided) ready for the next issue.
The service is entirely free to our listeners and is delivered free courtesy of the Royal Mail.
For a two-week trial please phone us on 01625 435 283
or contact us by email at
Living with...
Nystagmus.
Nystagmus is continuous uncontrolled to and fro movement of
the eyes. The movements may be in any direction. This means
that the eyes will look like they are moving from side to side or up and down or even in circles. Most people with nystagmus have reduced vision.
Nystagmus is a sign of a problem with the visual system or the
pathways that connect the eyes to the parts of the brain that analyse vision. These parts of the brain deal with eye movement.
Nystagmus is believed to affect between one in 1,000 and one in 2,000 people.
Special magnifiers called low vision aids can help with reading and tinted glasses may be useful to control glare. A low vision
assessment will look at using these types of devices. Having nystagmus can cause serious changes to vision but there are lots of things that you can do to make the most of your remaining vision. This may mean making things bigger, using brighter lighting or using colour to make things easier to see. Contact us at Macclesfield Eye Society for advice on equipment or to
request a Low Vision Assessment.
Thank you!
At Macclesfield Eye Society we rely on the support, time and donations of people in our community to keep our services alive.
We would like to thank the following in particular for their support over the past few months:
• Jobling Gowler Solicitors
• Sainsbury’s Macclesfield
• Rotary Club of Macclesfield Castle
• Bollington Probus Club
• Inner Wheel of Alderly Edge & Bollin Valley
• Cheshire Ladies Luncheon Club
• Macclesfield Half Marathon / Harriers Club
• AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical Development Department
• Big Lottery Fund
• Our friends in the Cheshire Visual Impairment Consortium;
• IRIS, Vision Support and Action for Blind People/RNIB
• Walthew House, Stockport
• 140 Club lottery participants and all of our generous donors
• Our 140 Celebration Event participants, exhibitors and
volunteers
• Our 140 Celebration Grand Draw prize donors
• Local businesses who support us by holding a collection tin
• And all of our amazing volunteers!
Get involved
Volunteering Opportunities
Our work in East Cheshire wouldn’t be possible without our
dedicated team of volunteers. If you are interested in giving
your time we would love to hear from you.
In particular, Macclesfield Eye Society is currently looking for:
✔ Volunteer Drivers
✔ Social Groups and Activities Support
✔ Fundraising and Collections Volunteers
✔ I.T. and Technology Advice Volunteers
✔ Office Admin Support
If you would like to talk to us about volunteering and how your
skills could contribute to the work we do, please contact us via
01625 422602 or email
Thank you!
Donations
To show your support to Macclesfield Eye Society we gratefully
accept donations to further our work with blind and partially sighted people in East Cheshire. We welcome your support via cheque (“Macclesfield Eye Society”), or please visit our website for a link to our Just Giving online donation facility. Thank you very much for your support.
If you require this publication in an alternative format (text only, email or audio) please do let us know.
Macclesfield Eye Society, 15 Queen Victoria Street, Macclesfield SK11 6LP
www.macclesfieldeyesociety.org.uk - 01625 422 602
Twitter: @MaccEyeSociety
Facebook: Macc Eye Society
Reg. charity number 226347