Support 4 Sight, its staff, trustees, volunteers and members of our community are deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and colleague Graham Hawkes, who died unexpectedly, after a short illness, on 12.10.2023.
Graham was the face and heart of Support 4 Sight, our front man, our wing man, who understood, through his own experience, how vitally important support and social interaction is when living and coping with sight loss.
Graham established coffee mornings, the Chelmsford Centre, and a whole host of social activities, unlike anything else on offer across the region. He was always looking for the next opportunity for our members, from Cockney Knees-Ups to boat trips and evermore adventurous weekends away, alongside introductions to gadgets and apps to transform everyday living.
He was determined that people should have the support and opportunity they needed, and his can-do approach achieved just that. We would often hear after an event how it very nearly didn’t happen because of one thing or another, which Graham had managed to remedy so that all went ahead as planned, with no mention of all the paddling under water that he had done to make it so ‘seamless’.
He fronted many a quiz evening, with humour and generosity, and was a role model to many in his journey from service user to member of staff.
To say he will be missed is an understatement. We will miss him every day. And we will strive to maintain the services he established as a fitting and lasting testament to his ambition for our community.
