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Welcome to edition 17 of “Out of Sight” the newsletter produced by Bury Society for Blind & Partially Sighted People.
When clients visit us here at the resource Centre on Bolton Street we are mindful that each person is an individual. Many people may say that they have age related macular degeneration, but that condition and the degree of sight varies from person to person and that is why we often say to pop into the Centre and try the equipment out before purchasing because what is appropriate for one person may not be for another. We are lucky to have on loan until the end of October an item called a Shoppa from a company named Bierley and a Doro HandleEasy mobile phone from the RNIB.
The Shoppa is a portable electronic colour magnifier with a 4 hour battery life. You can lay it on a newspaper and slide it along to read; you can take it to the supermarket to take a close look at bottles, jars and packets or at a restaurant you can relax and enjoy the menu. It costs £349.
The simple to use mobile phone has been designed to make and receive telephone calls. It has raised buttons with large print, easy to read numbers. The phone costs £76.59.
We have the Shoppa and the mobile phone here at the Centre on Bolton Street, so why not come along, have a cup of coffee and try out this new equipment prior to the end of October.
Still on the theme of electronic magnifiers we are having a Focus day on Thursday 6th November. Mark Silver from Optelec will be present to demonstrate various items of equipment that are on the market for you to try out and see whether they are appropriate for your needs. So please come along, have a cup of coffee with us and have a browse.
There are two other gadgets that are new to the market. They are the Tactile Stair Safety Mat and the I –Tell.
Firstly The Tactile Safety Mat is designed to try to prevent falls. When a person descends the stairs the special profile of the Mat registers with the person’s feet and they then know quite definitely they are on level ground and it's safe to walk away. They learn not to attempt to walk away until they are actually on the Mat. Also when approaching the stairs to ascend, the presence of the Mat alerts them to the fact they have reached the foot of the stairs and are about to ascend. The Mat is so designed as to register with a person wearing light shoes or slippers or bare feet, and does not cause discomfort to bare feet. The Safety Mat is available for £38 excluding VAT and is available online at www.parnellproducts.com or by phoning 0191 237 2096. We have not seen the mat so cannot vouch for its suitability, but it looks like a rubber tactile pavement.
Now for the I-Tell.
This is a unique, innovative and exciting product, which enables your existing iPod to announce your stored artists, album titles, song titles and also audio books.
The I-Tell simply plugs into your iPod.
· Earphones plug into the I-Tell.
· Control your iPod using the I-Tell.
· Connect other devices to your iPod whilst using the I-Tell, i.e. radio transmitter or charger.
· Removable belt clip.
· 5 main control buttons work in a similar way to your iPod.
· Volume controlled by 2 additional buttons on the I-Tell.
· Powered by the iPod.
· Compatible with most iPod’s which have a docking connector.
· Adjustable voice style, voice speed and gaps between words.
Price of the I-Tell £59.95
This product is available from Cobolt. Telephone 01493 700172 or visit www.cobolt.co.uk
We are pleased to say we are moving with the times. Our newsletter “Out of Sight” is now available on email. So if you have any comments, articles or jokes then please email us at
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Forever in the fast lane let’s catch up with what’s been happening at Bury Blind Society. First of all let’s start with the fundraising news. Hats off to Debbie! our fundraising co-ordinator. She raised £250 for her first event which was a hat show.
Well done to the four people who abseiled down Holcombe Tower in August and raised over £300. Special mention should go to one of our clients Tracey Marno who courageously managed to take that first step backwards just like spider woman then had no problems scurrying down the Tower.
At the end of June four staff and nine volunteers completed the Morecambe Bay Walk with Cedric Robinson the Official Guide. At first it was drizzling as we sheltered under the veranda of the Post Office in Arnside, wondering how on earth we let ourselves be talked into such a venture on a Sunday afternoon and weren’t Sundays meant to be a day of rest! Anyway as the sun broke through the clouds, our spirits lifted and the intrepid explorers moved on. It took us approximately three and a half hours to complete the walk, and it was highly amusing when we had to wade through water that came up to our thighs. I don’t think I would have found it so funny if I had been much smaller in height! Congratulations in particular for completing the walk go to Stephanie Garvey, one of our clients and volunteers, and also to Debbie who at the end swore she would never do it again though I think that was in the heat of the moment! In total we raised £1266 for the Society.
A guess the wine quiz took place at Lowes Park Golf Club. The people who took part thought the event went well but couldn’t remember much about the evening!! They did remember the headache the next day and did eventually remember that they raised £214.
The ten pin bowling tournament raised £135 and our Treasurer, Linda Gibbons and her team struck it lucky to win the competition. At one point though we did think of issuing a red card due to incessant coaching from the sidelines!!
Congratulations to one of our clients Alan Mudd for raising £191 for us in the Manchester 100 Cycle challenge. What an achievement that is, especially as he couldn’t sit down for a week afterwards.
By the time you read this Newsletter we will also have walked the Blackpool Lights to raise more funds. This is approximately 5 miles from Bispham to South Shore.
If you wish to join us in our future fundraising events such as a race night after Christmas, or if you wish to sponsor us for an event or if you feel able to donate to the Society please call us on 0161 763 7014 and Debbie will be more than happy to take your call and your money!
Do you know of anyone with a car who thinks that telly is rubbish on a Tuesday evening and wants something to do?
Then look no further - as we require drivers to collect a client and take them to the monthly social at the Grundy Day Care Centre in Bury and return them home at 9.30 pm. All volunteer drivers are reimbursed travel expenses for this much needed service that benefits clients.
Linda would like to know if there are any clients who are interested in attending the gym / swimming at Castle Leisure Centre or Total Fitness in Whitefield if we can find a volunteer to accompany you.
Also are there any ramblers out there? For anybody that loves being outdoors and walking we are hoping to put on various local short walks (about 2-5 miles).
So if you are able to help out or are interested please contact Linda on 0161 763 7014.
We hope that you are still with us and you’ve not dropped off so for those who are still with us let’s kick-start those little grey cells with our ever popular quiz and congratulations to our previous winner. With this quiz we are going to get into the mood for Christmas - oh no you won’t, oh yes we will. Wilkinson’s store on the Rock, where you can purchase many Christmas gifts and items, have kindly donated £20 to us for the winner so without further ado let’s go.
It’s our usual format - you take the first letter of your answer to each question and rearrange the letters to form a word. This time the answer is something to do with Christmas.
1. You can have a real one or an artificial one? (no rude answers here please)
2. The 1st of January is the start of a New ------
3. The place where there was no room for Mary and Joseph
4. The French word meaning Christmas and is in the title of a Christmas carol.
5. Traditionally sung on New Year’s Eve ---- Lang Syne
6. Tiny ----- a fictional character in the novel ‘ A Christmas Carol’
7. Once ---- Royal David’s city.
8. The meat of deer (hopefully not one of Santa’s reindeer)
Now that is so easy everyone should be entering. The closing date is 30th November. Remember to call after 5pm leaving your answer, name and telephone number on our answer machine and the number to call is 0161 763 7014. And good luck.
As you know Bury Blind Society holds a luxury gift wrapping service outside Marks and Spencer’s in the Mill gate at Christmas and this year we shall be there from Monday 8 December to Wednesday 24th December from
10 - 4 on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday our wrappers will be there from 12 - 8 pm and on a Sunday 12 - 4 pm. So why not go along and get those presents artistically wrapped all in one go.
We also intend to continue with the wrapping service at the resource centre throughout the year.
Simply drop off the items which you require wrapping between 10am and 4pm, Monday to Friday at the Resource centre, 36 Bolton Street, Bury.
Your stunning presents will be ready for collection the next day. If your presents are urgent, please ring us and if the wrappers are on the premises, they will wrap while you wait.
If your presents are for a special occasions i.e. silver wedding anniversary, Christenings etc… then please give a few days notice so that we can make sure that we have the wrapping and trimmings to suit your requirements.
For more information please contact the centre on 0161 763 7014.
Linda Holland our Volunteer Co-Coordinator is looking for volunteers to help with the luxury Christmas Gift Wrapping service that we hold each year outside Marks and Spencer in the Mill gate centre, Bury. So if you or anyone you know can spare an hour and a half and likes to wrap presents please let us know.
One other important date is Tuesday 11 November. This is when ourselves, Bury Society for Blind & Partially Sighted People, the RNIB and Bury Social Services Sensory Team join forces to hold an information day on how we can try to help visually impaired people. The venue is in the centre of Bury so to find what it is all about and to book a place please telephone 0303 123 99 99 (please note this is not a premium rate number).
Do you have an abundance of wool at home and are willing to donate it to the ladies of the knitting circle at Falcon House? Ladies up to the age of 102 are knitting baby clothes for Fairfield’s premature baby unit and also blankets for Bury Hospice. They have been knitting so fast that they have run out of baby wool and Aaron wool so are you able to come to the rescue? Please drop the wool off at the Blind Society or take them to Christine Whittaker at Falcon House.
Let’s have an interlude with a couple of comical stories…
This burglar was counting his luck; he had found an open window and he was inside in a flash. No noise, beautiful. He started rummaging around for any valuables and came across this exquisite porcelain ornament. Just as he picked it up a voice said “Jack is watching you.” He froze. Nothing happened. So he ventured a little further. Again this voice said “Jack is watching you” His heart missed a beat. Then, his eyes accustomed to the gloom, he spotted a parrot in its cage. With a huge sigh of relief he said “hello Jack”. Annoyed, the parrot said “My name is Tom, Jack’s the Rottweiler”
Here’s another one…
An old farmer had owned his farm for several years. He had an extremely large pond in the back field. One evening the farmer decided to go down to the pond and look it over as he hadn’t been there for awhile. As he neared the pond, he heard voices shouting and laughing with glee. As he came closer he saw it was a bunch of young women skinny-dipping in his pond. He made the women aware of his presence and they all went to the end of the deep pond. One of the women shouted to him. “We are not coming out until you leave!” The old man replied, “I didn’t come down here to watch you young ladies swim or make you get out of the pond, I only came to feed my alligators!”