SIGHTLINE
Autumn 2016
Welcome to the Autumn edition of
Support 4 Sight’s Newsletter
Message from the Editors
Paul is back from his operation and looking good. He has written a great article about his own wonderful Paralympic torchbearer experience of 2012. Sadly, Paul has had no news about a new guide dog yet but Nessie continues to enjoy her retirement and pops into the office from time to time.
Although we have enjoyed some really hot weather over the last few weeks, please remember to stay warm this winter. It is really important to keep your home heated and if anyone would like a cold alarm to warn when the temperature starts dropping too low, we have several of these to give away free of charge to anyone who would like one.
News from Support 4 Sight
AGM
Our AGM this year will be on Tuesday 25th October, 11:30am at our centre in George Street, Saffron Walden. Enclosed with this Sightline is an invite and survey. If you would like to attend the AGM please complete the invite and send it back into our centre.
We ask that as many people as possible complete the survey and send it back to us to help us with future funding towards our many services.
New Recycling
We have launched a new recycling opportunity! Do you have any spectacles that you no longer use and wouldn’t mind donating to Support 4 Sight? They can be dropped into the centre, posted through the letter box or dropped into the spectacles recycling bin outside our centre when we are open. Please tell all your friends and family!
Braintree Support Group
Our Support group is going from strength to strength with up to 35 people attending.
We have had some interesting speakers such as Michael Bardell from the local Historical society who gave us many interesting local facts. Clive Stewart from Neighbourhood Watch also came and gave some valuable tips about safety as well as useful giveaways such as bells for purses. We have also been entertained musically by Richard Lindsell with his organ as well as others.
Our July meeting was a celebration of one of our members. Linda Wright has turned 92. The original plan was to hold it in Linda's beautiful garden but due to inclement weather we had to relocate back to our usual venue. The hall was already decorated for the Queen’s birthday so it was perfect. The members were served Strawberries and cream with scones of which the scones had been provided by the Inner Wheel. The Strawberries and cream were kindly donated by Tiptree Meals Service. This was a really lovely occasion and the conversation was very jolly.
A full list of talks and entertainment has been organised for the rest of the year.
Low Vision at Princess Alexandra Hospital.
Following on with Vanessa's work at the hospital, Support 4 Sight is now working in partnership to provide Low Vision services.
Several mornings have been held and the feedback has been fantastic.
One lady's feedback was that it was "Marvellous, Excellent, Brilliant. Could not have got better treatment if I had been the Queen!"
This service was urgently needed in the area and we are very proud to be helping so many people
Support 4Sight Events and Activities
Low Vision Exhibitions
For information and advice about sight loss, or for the latest in low vision technology and equipment, come to one of these exhibitions:
Saffron Walden
Saturday 22nd October 10am to 3pm at the Saffron Walden Bowls Club, Abbey Lane, CB10 1DG. Parking is available!
Braintree
Thursday 27th October 10am to 2.30pm at Church House, St. Michael’s Lane, Braintree, CM7 1EY.
Focus Day
Come and discover the latest low vision technology and equipment at our Centre in Saffron Walden. There will be lots of advice and information available, plus the opportunity for demonstrations.
Tuesday 29th November 10am to 2.30pm Optelec Ltd will be demonstrating magnifiers and lighting.
Coffee Mornings
Do come and join us for a cup of tea or coffee at your local group. If you have any questions about the coffee mornings, or for information on how to get to the venues, contact us on 01799 523700.
Harlow – Brand New Group!
Held on the second Tuesday of each monthat the Potter Street Baptist Church‘Coffee Stop ‘, 98 Potter Street, Harlow CM17 9AW, 10.30amuntil noon.
Dates:13th September, 11th October, 8th November and the Christmas Special on 13th December.
Chelmsford
Last Wednesday of each month at the Village Hall, 158 Main Road, Broomfield, CM1 7AH, 1.30pm to 3pm. Please note the afternoon times.
Dates: 28th September, 26th October, 30th November. The Christmas Specialis on Thursday15th December in the large hall. There will be mince pies and sherry.
Saffron Walden
Last Tuesday of every month at the Bowls Club, Abbey Lane, 10:30am till noon.
Dates: 27th September, 25th October, 29th November and the Christmas Special on 13th December.
Great Dunmow
Second Thursday of every month at Banks Court, Chequers Lane, 10.30am till noon.
Dates: 8th September, 13th October, 10th November and the Christmas Special on 8th December.
Braintree
Last Thursday of every month at Church House, St Michaels Lane, 10:30 to noon.
Dates:22nd September, 27th October and 24th November.
The Christmas Special will be on 14th December at the Baptist Church, Braintree from 2:00 to 3:30pm. There will be refreshments and a silver band to serenade you! (Please note that there will be no coffee morning on 15th December).
Lunch Trips
Why not join us for a lovely sociablelunch and make new friends? We visit some excellent local pubsthat serve amazing food!Please call Stephanie at the Centre to reserve your place.
Thursday 15 September. September’s lunch is at the Farmhouse Inn, Thaxted, at 12.30pm. The Farmhouse Inn is a friendly pub with reasonably priced food. No pre-order needed, just choose on the day. If you would like to join us, please book your place by September 8. If you require transport, a deposit of £10.00 will be required, please call Stephanie Emberson on 01799 523700 for more information.
Thursday 20October. October's lunch will be at The Bull Inn, Blackmore End at 12.30pm. The pub has been renovated recently and apparently has excellent food. The location is particularly convenient for those in the Braintree area. A Pre-order from the menu is required by October 10 and if you require transport, a deposit of £10.00 will be required. Please call Stephanie Emberson on 01799 523700 to order you meal and book transport.
Friday 11 November. November’s lunch will be at The Green Man at Great Easton at 12.30pm. A Pre-order from the menu is required by November 2 and if you require transport, a deposit of £10.00 will be required. Please call Stephanie Emberson on 01799 523700 to order you meal and book transport.
Friday 2 December. Our Christmas lunch will be held at St Marks College, Audley End Village near Saffron Walden on December 2 at 12.30. St Marks College will be a lovely setting for us to celebrate and enjoy our Christmas meal.
Deposits of £5.00 for the meal are required by 2November. If you require transport, please call Stephanie Emberson on 01799 523700 for more information.
Please book early as spaces are limited!
What’s On Locally and Further Afield
Rio Paralympics 2016 by Paul Atkins
I am sure that there are many of you that have been watching or listening to the Olympic Games in Rio. So much has been achieved by all and now it is the turn of our Paralympians to show what they can do.
2016 events have sparked off many memories for me as many of you may know that I was nominated in 2012 by Support 4 Sight to carry the Paralympic torch. This was in recognition of the work that I had carried out over my ten years with the charity.
My nomination was sent in to the RNIB, where a panel of Judges put forward eight nominees to a selection panel at Lloyds TSB. I was then fortunate enough to be chosen as one of the five Torch Bearers to run as part of the relay team.
I received several calls during January and February 2012, informing me that I had reached the next stage and had to keep this secret. It wasn’t until the beginning of May that I received the official call to say that I had been successful, but it wasn’t until two weeks later I was able to let my family and friends know! I was interviewed by the local radio several times and appeared in the local press. I felt so proud to have been given the honour to run in the relay, especially with my Guide Dog, Nessie.
On Wednesday 29th August 2012, dressed in my Paralympic Uniform, all in white, I headed down to London with my friends and of course not forgetting Nessie (my guide dog), to run with the torch in Deptford, near Greenwich. The torch relay was running approximately 2 hours late and that was at the start of the day! They didn’t really catch up, despite cutting out lunch breaks for all the relay volunteers and staff. I was due to run at 3.50pm, but didn’t actually run until 5.30pm. But one of the good things about running late is that I missed all the rain!!!! Nessie was also pleased about this.
Whilst waiting at the Leisure Centre, I was able to meet with all my family and friends who had travelled great distances to come and see Nessie and me run on our special day. They were able to get photos of me practicing the torch relay with the other members of the team and to soak up the atmosphere in the room whilst we all waited to find out the details of the relay.
The relay team was taken by Shuttle Bus to a drop off point where there was an opportunity for family and friends, spectators and media, to take photos of all the team with the torch. I ran third in the team relay and carried the Flame for 130 metres, guided by Nessie who took off like a rocket! At one point, the security man had to slow us down as we were overtaking the lead torch bearer and heading straight for the back of the Media Van with all the TV cameras and photographers!!! We then followed the rest of the team for half a mile holding the torch in the air.
We then had a huge surprise; we were taken to a boat where we carried the flame down the river past the Cutty Sark and back again. The day was made complete for me when Mum and Dad offered to buy the torch for me to show how proud they were of me and what I had achieved since making a life for myself in Saffron Walden.
This was a fantastic day and will remain with me for the rest of my life. I was so proud and honoured to be a torch bearer and would like to say many thanks to Support 4 Sight for nominating me.
The 2012 Olympics left a lasting impression on those who took part and those who spectated. There are certain areas of the UK that have made sports and leisure more accessible for those with disabilities although in my personal experience I feel that there is still a way to go.
National Eye Health Week
The seventh annual National Eye Health Week (NEHW) will take place fromMonday 19th September. Once again, sight loss charities, organisations and health professionals from across the UKare joiningtogether to promote the importance of eye health and the need for regular sight tests for all.
The Events in Saffron Walden
We are delighted to announce that Saffron Screen will be co-hosting the film ‘Notes on Blindness’ with Support 4 Sight on Monday 19th September at 7.30pm. There will be a raffle, refreshments and a collection for Support 4 Sight. Tickets are on sale via or at the Saffron Walden Tourist Information Centre. There will be audio description headsets available at the screening, so please make sure that Saffron Screenknows at the time of booking if you require these.By showing this film we hope to raise awareness of sight loss and the work that Support 4 Sight does in our local community. Carers’ tickets are free.
‘Notes on Blindness’ is an extraordinary and affecting documentary about one man’s journey as he comes to terms with is loss of sight and engages with a new perspective on his senses.
The trailer can be found at
On Tuesday 20th September there will be a street collection and Support 4 Sight information in the Market Square. Please contact the Centre if you can help with this.
World Sight Day
This is an important advocacy and communications event on the eye health calendar. It is a great time to engage with a wider audience and showcase why eye health needs everybody’s attention.
World Sight Day 2016 will be on 13 October.
Talking Benches!
If a bench could talk, what would it say? Essex Record Office’s You are Hear: sound and a senseof placeproject has 8 sound benches across Essex. These tell you abouteach location and play recordings of local history past and present. You can choose which recording you’d like to hear, and it will be played to you through the built-in speakers.Staff and volunteers from Support 4 Sight tried out the Saffron Walden Museum talking bench. One person commented “I closed my eyes and was taken back to the days when my town had a Victorian swimming pool and steam baths.”
Cllr John Spence, Essex County Council Cabinet Member with responsibility for Heritage, Culture and the Arts, said: “So often we rely on the eye to bring archives to life; creating this aural dimension not only lets blind people like me have the experience it actually immerses you in the sounds of the period, or place.”
Local (note that there are 5 elsewhere) benches are located in Saffron Museum garden, Great Dunmow town square and at Colchester’s Castle Park. To find out more about the project, call Sara-Joy Maddeaux on 033 301 32467
Support 4 Sight Recent Outings and Events
Tea Party Fundraising Begins, Saturday 13th August
We launched our Tea Party campaign in Jubilee Gardens on 13th August and raised £300. A big thank you goes to all the people who donated cakes and raffle prizes. Our very special guest was Great British Bake Off finalist Ian Cumming. We have now prepared special fundraising packs to enable you to have your own Support 4 Sight tea party. These include a recipe specially created for us by Ian.
We’ve just heard that Stansted Bowling Club is planning to do a Support 4 Sight tea party in October.
Chelmsford Exhibition
We recently held our second annual Chelmsford Exhibition together with the Chelmsford Coffee Afternoon run by Graham Hawkes. The event was opened by the Mayor of Chelmsford, Cllr Patricia Hughes, also in attendance was Cllr Michael Holloway. The event was extremely busy with people visiting the many suppliers and local organisations. There were many new low vision aids being demonstrated at the event which raised a lot of interest amongst our visitors. We are hoping to expand on this type of event next year.
Henham lunch and Saffron Walden Brewery
An enthusiastic group of Support 4 Sight members and their families met on a sunny day in August for lunch at the Cock Inn followed by a visit to Saffron Brewery.
Members from all 5 coffee morning areas attended, including 3 of our coffee morning co-ordinators, Sam Tracey from Braintree, Nicola Smith from Saffron Walden and Graham Hawkes from Chelmsford.
Despite our large group, the lunch was excellent and brought to our tables promptly, which helped to soak up the various bottle of Rosé wine and beer ordered!
The visit to Saffron Brewery was really interesting. Situated on a pretty farm near to the pub, we learnt from James, the owner, about the equipment and processes involved, as well as the trials and tribulations of running a small, independent brewery. It was an informative, pleasant and amusing visit.
The hop sniffing and beer tasting was fun and the sample beer was very drinkable! For fans of Saffron Brewery, their beer is now sold in a number of nearby pubs including The Cock Inn.
A Lovely Trip to Southend!
In July Support 4 Sight members went east to enjoy a day at the seaside. Traveling on a comfortable Richmond coach, we had a straightforward journey, arriving in Southend in plenty of time to source some good places for lunch and of course, check out the beach. The weather was just about perfect with plenty of sun and a pleasant breeze.
Some ate their lunch on the seafront, while others visited a local pub, but everyone agreed that the food, mainly fish and chips, tasted great!