Friday Round-Up

A Gold Award for Becky!

Sue and Brian spent the weekend with Becky at BBC Gardeners’ World Live in Birmingham, celebrating and showcasing her beautifully curated garden, Sensed, Not Seen.

Becky was awarded a prestigious Gold Award for creating a space that invited visitors to experience and celebrate the senses, particularly highlighting the importance of accessibility for those with visual impairments. The garden encouraged engagement through touch, smell, taste, and sound, allowing everyone to enjoy the beauty of nature in a unique and meaningful way.

Hundreds of comments on Becky’s Instagram account, @itsbeckysgarden, congratulated her on this remarkable achievement, with many describing the garden as “beyond beautiful.” After a year of planning, creativity, hard work, and enthusiasm, Becky has created something truly special. We can all be incredibly proud of what she has achieved.

Catch Becky on BBC Essex today at 12.15 doing her first live radio interview!

Stay Safe in the Heat
With the hot weather continuing, please remember to look after yourselves, stay hydrated and, if you can, check in on neighbours, vulnerable people and families who may need a little extra support.

Looking Ahead

Essex Sensory Awareness Week
Next week marks the Essex Sensory Awareness Week. This is a significant event that aims to raise awareness about sensory impairments and the importance of support services. The week is dedicated to helping individuals with sensory impairments, including sight and hearing loss, navigate their daily lives with confidence and independence. The Essex Sensory Community (ESC) and local organizations like Support 4 Sight and Essex Cares Limited work together to provide resources, training, and support for those affected by sensory impairments. The week also highlights the need for accessibility in public services and encourages community members to seek help and support from local services.

WagFest Update
Due to the high temperatures, Saffron Walden’s WagFest Community Day has been postponed and will now take place in September. Keep an eye on our social media for the new date.

Sunday 28 June
Tune into Chelmsford Radio’s Community Matters (10am–12pm), where our volunteer and trustee Brian will be talking about VolFest and the wonderful world of volunteering.

Monday 30 June
We’ll be at Forest Hall School, delivering workshops to around 400 Year 7–10 students. We’ll be raising awareness of visual impairment, sharing how Support 4 Sight helps people live well with sight loss, and busting some common myths about blindness and partial sight.

You’ll also find us at High Chelmer Shopping Centre in Chelmsford, where our team will be on hand to share information about our services.

Tuesday 1 July
We are at the TEC (Assistive Equipment) Showcase at Chelmsford City Racecourse to discover technology and equipment that can support people to live more independently.

Wednesday 2 July
The Sensory Action Alliance will be hosting an online conference for sensory support organisations across Essex as part of Essex Sensory Awareness Week.

Thursday 3 July
We’ll be celebrating the Get Set Progress Internship Programme and the amazing Class of 2025–26 including our very own Tommy! 😉 Congratulations to everyone involved.

Have a wonderful weekend, stay cool, and we’ll see you next week!

#Support4Sight #SensedNotSeen #BBCGardenersWorldLive #Accessibility #SensoryAwareness #Essex