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A Brief Introduction
Support 4 Sight, originally named Saffron Sight, was established in 1994 to give support, help and advice to visually impaired people and their carers.
We changed our name in July 2007, when we expanded our geographical boundaries, allowing us to help an even larger number of blind and partially sighted people in West Essex and the surrounding areas.
From our centre in Saffron Walden, we provide information on equipment that can help visually impaired people maintain their independence. Visitors are always welcome at our centre in George Street in Saffron Walden, Mondays to Fridays (9:30am - 2:30pm), to browse the equipment and try for themselves.
News
Fundraising Charity Fair
This event, organized for us by Carmen and Peter Heap, at Ugley Village Hall on 25th September, was very successful and raised a total of £1,051.20. There were lots of lovely stalls selling jewellery, clothes, cards, toiletries and beauty products. Support 4 Sight volunteers ran a cake stall and served coffees and teas and raised £130.45, which was a fantastic result!
Visit to Great Bardfield Vineyard
A party of 12 Members and Volunteers went to Great Bardfield Vineyard on Monday 29th September. We were very lucky to have had a sunny and warm day, and were treated first of all to a talk about the Vineyard by the owner, Mr Jordan. He then took us on a tour of the Vineyard and told us about the process of wine making. We then visited the Barn which was built in the 1500’s while Anne of Cleves lived there. Afterwards we had a wine tasting of 4 of the different wines produced by the Vineyard and that was followed by a delicious lunch.
It was a most enjoyable day and some of us bought a bottle (or two) of wine to remind us of our visit.
“Sensational” Exhibition
Our exhibition on Tuesday 28th October at the Town Hall was a very successful event, with 11 suppliers taking part, plus displays from Talking Newspapers and Guide Dogs. Cheffins Estate Agents and Auctioneers kindly gave us £500 in sponsorship, and we raised money on the cake stall, raffle and refreshments.
The exhibition was opened by Cllr Mark Lemon, Chairman of Uttlesford District Council and Cllr Mike Hibbs, Mayor of Saffron Walden.
We had a good number of visitors, particularly in the morning and our profit for the day was a fantastic £1,016.25. Grateful thanks must go to all those who helped on the day, or baked cakes, or donated raffle prizes.
Sponsored Bike Ride at Grafham Water – 1st November
Our riders did a grand job on their bike ride and have raised in excess of £1,000 in sponsorship. The riders on the 3 tandems were Paul with Viv Tree, Graham Routledge with Des Plummer and Mark Pivac with his son, David. We were grateful to have Colin Ward and Nigel Malcolm as pilots, and helpers on the day were Carol Malcolm, Christine Marshall, Sally Southwick and John Martin. The ride started at 9.45 am and finished at 3.15 pm. Paul says a big thank you to all those who sponsored him and also to Philly Hamilton who gave up her day to drive the horse box containing the 3 tandems to Grafham Water.
Trip to Bury St Edmunds
On Friday 27th June, nine of our members plus carers and volunteers went to visit the Abbey Gardens at Bury St Edmunds. We were very lucky to have had a warm and sunny day and the gardens were looking fantastic! The sensory garden was at its best with lavenders, roses and other plants smelling wonderful. Many thanks to the volunteers (Geraldine Brown, Pat Arnold, Liz Marson and her friend Reg) for their help on the day. (And well done to Jane for her first successful trip!)
Musical Treat at Coffee Morning
At the coffee morning on 24th June, we were entertained by the Duck End Duo, who played the piano and clarinet. They brought with them 2 singers, who gave us a selection of songs from the shows and popular songs such as “The Lambeth Walk”.
This was such a success that they have been booked to sing and play at the Christmas coffee morning on Tuesday 16th December.
Frinton
A wonderful day was had by all when we visited Frinton-on-Sea on 30 July. Two minibuses and one car loaded with members and volunteers set off from Saffron Walden about 9.30 am. After a warm welcome at Read House, operated by Essex Blind Charity, we were served a delicious fish & chip lunch followed by dessert. Afterwards we walked along the esplanade and went for a paddle in the sea. We certainly worked up an appetite for our cream tea & scones in the afternoon.
It was a long and enjoyable day out for members and their appreciation was evident from the comments we received. It would not have been possible to take them without the volunteers who gave up their whole day to accompany us,
Staff & Volunteer Dinner 28th July
This evening was enjoyed by 20 volunteers who had a delicious dinner at the Coach and Horses pub in Newport. Paul was presented with a card specially made by Geraldine and a mug to recognize his 5 years with Support 4 Sight as Resource Centre Manager.
Tesco Collection
We have broken a record! At the recent Tesco 2 day store collection we raised an ENORMOUS £915.35!!!
Pantomime at Cambridge Arts Theatre
We have organised a trip to see Jack and the Beanstalk Panto on 6th December at 2.00 pm. The production will be audio described and the visit will include a ‘touch tour’ of the stage and the costumes. The cost will be £25 a head including transport by coach; tickets from Jane at the Resource Centre.
Cycling 4 Sight – Tandem Fun Ride
The Sponsored Fun Ride is to be held on 1st November at Grafham Water, or to be pedantic, around Grafham Water. At the moment there are four tandems taking part, cycling a total of 100 miles to raise funds for the Centre.
Paul and Graham could still do with another volunteer or two to help with training and to be available as a contingency rider, if for any reason one of the existing volunteers encounters a problem before the event.
Ideally, to help Graham or Paul, you should be physically fit and be 5’ 8’ or taller. If you think you can help, or know of someone else who might be interested, please contact either Paul or Graham at the Centre.
If the cycling itself does not appeal then we can always do with more sponsors, so please collect a form from Paul at the Resource Centre or just telephone him on 01799 523700.
Action for Blind Bus
The Action for Blind Bus will be in the Market Square, Saffron Walden on Tuesday, 14th October between 10.00am and 4.00pm.
Visual Aids Exhibition
There will be a Visual Aids Exhibition in the Town Hall (in conjunction with the October coffee morning) on Tuesday 28th October. There will be displays by various suppliers of equipment to help VIPs with their disability and will be well worth a visit.
Video Spec Ltd
On 23rd September the supplier demonstrated Eezee readers, Combi readers, cctvs and tv-enhancing spectacles and some of their very latest technology. The Open Day ran from 10am to 2pm and despite the rain, we had 12 VIPs that visited the open day for a demonstration and trial of the products. The supplier was very impressed and mentioned that he would like to come again next year.
If you are interested in reading more about these outings and events or would like to take part or volunteer please follow the links to our Sightline and Volunteer News pages.
February ‘08
St Valentine’s Open Morning for Families
And who said “never work with animals and children?” It simply isn’t true! We had a great experience with both, when we held an Open Morning for children and their families on St Valentine’s Day at our Centre in George Street. The event was launched some weeks earlier with a colouring competition, which was distributed to local schools and children were asked to colour in and name a Guide Dog. The aim of the day was to raise awareness of the help available to youngsters with sight problems and show the children and their family members and friends around the Centre.
Half Term week provided a good opportunity for the children and parents to visit us and we showed a range of educational sensory and tactile toys. Volunteers also demonstrated the talking computer software and arranged tactile guessing games. The children and their parents were introduced to Roza and Ingrid, two Guide Dogs, who regularly visit the centre with their owners.
As part of the morning’s events, several of the children had their names produced in Braille to take home and it was good to see so many youngsters showing a keen interest in the subject of low vision. Squash and biscuits were enjoyed by all the children and the morning was great fun with the volunteers and staff enjoying the event every bit as much as the visitors.
The winners of Best Colouring Competition were Georgia Dorrian aged 9 and Dillon Lewis age 6. The winners for Best Names were Harvey Stevens aged 4 (with “Seymour”) and Ciara Bailey aged 5 (with “Specs”). The winning entrants can be seen displayed on our front window.
Click here to see other Open Day photos.
January ‘08
The New Year could see you in a new role!
Support 4 Sight is a very dynamic, local charity and we have an opening for a special person to make a real difference.
The role is for a Services Co-ordinator and includes taking responsibility for managing some of its services, such as day trips, social events, newsletters, home visits and local fundraising. This is a paid, part-time job of approx 20 hours per week. Good telephone manner, admin and computer skills, and an understanding of visual impairment are required.
The charity is based in Saffron Walden and is accepting applications until 13th February. If you are interested in finding out more, please contact the Director, Madeleine Cassidy on 01799 523700 (weekday mornings) for details.
News Archive
News items from previous years.
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