Month: January 2019

Is it your New Years resolution to volunteer for a local charity and give back to your community? Volunteering is a great way to increase confidence, happiness and attend social activities/outings.  Here at Dorset Blind Association, we are powered by over 400 loyal volunteers and we received a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2017, recognising the hard work and dedication of all of our volunteers. You could be a part of this fantastic group of people and give back to your community today. We have a number of volunteering opportunities available, to suit everyone’s needs:

Fundraising Opportunities:

Could you help us at a supermarket or street collection across Dorset? Just give two hours of your time to fund raise for DBA. Contact Gareth on gareth@dorsetblind.org.uk for more information

Could you help at one of Fundraising Events? Help be a marshal at our Lulworth Castle Motor Show in May, or our Bright for Sight Night Run in Weymouth during April. Contact Helena@dorsetblind.org.uk for more information about our upcoming events and volunteering opportunities.

Call the fundraising team on 01202 712864 for more information

Volunteer Driving Opportunities:

We are seeking volunteer drivers to transport our visually impaired members to social clubs across Bournemouth and Poole. Contact Moira on 07709216797 or moira@dorsetblind.org.uk to offer your services.

Befriending Opportunities: 

Would you like to become a part of our befriending service and visit a visually impaired person in their home for just an hour a week? Contact Moira for home visiting opportunities across Bournemouth and Poole at Moira@dorsetblind.org.uk

 

Our Bright for Sight Night Run, sponsored by Friths Opticians, is set to light up Weymouth seafront on Saturday 13th April! Our well loved fun run that usually takes place along Boscombe seafront has become so successful, that we are expanding the event to become county wide. Discount offer of two entries for just £20 is available until 31st January, for our fun run along Weymouth Seafront. We hope you will join us in the first ever Bright for Sight Night Run in Weymouth!

The fun run is open to all ages and abilities, so bring along the whole family and walk, run or even skip along the route, wearing your brightest clothing, neon paint, glow sticks or even fairy lights and help make Weymouth’s first ever Bright for Sight Night Run the brightest run yet!

The night will begin with a Zumba warm up courtesy of local Zumba Heat Fitness Instructor Lou Sams, getting the runners pumped up and ready to glow! Entry is only £15 per person which includes an exclusive ‘Bright for Sight’ medal and a runners goody bag.  Group discount is available to groups of 4 or more at just £12 per person. The run will start at 8.30pm, with registration opening at 7:30pm.

Helena Sinclair, Events Fundraiser at Dorset Blind Association said: “We are extremely excited to bring the Bright for Sight Night Run to Weymouth, following on from its popularity in Boscombe. We hope that the event will raise additional support and vital awareness in the local community for sight loss and the ever growing need for our services.”

We are encouraging runners to raise sponsorship for their 5k or 10k challenge to support them in their 100th year. Commit to raising just £100 in sponsorship and enable 20 vulnerable people to be visited in their homes by our caring volunteers.

If you would like to enter the Bright for Sight Night Run in Weymouth, call 01202 712864 or enter online now!

We were delighted to be chosen to be Crossways Travel’s ‘Charity of the Year’ in 2018.  The local Coach Tour Operator, based near Dorchester, recently made a very generous donation of £2114.16 to us, raised with the help of their local customers. The company operating day excursions and Holiday Tours from Dorset, invited us along to their annual Christmas Party Lunch to present the cheque on Thursday 20th December.

Matthew Crocker, owner of Crossways Travel said, “We are delighted with the amount raised this year for the charity and we are pleased to see that Dorset Blind Association were very grateful for the generous support of our customers.”

Support from local businesses is very important to us here at Dorset Blind Association and we are very grateful for the kind support of Crossways Travel. Financial support is always greatly received as we don’t receive any government funding, but there is also the added exposure we get which helps to introduce us to more people who could benefit from our help. We always hope to be selected as businesses ‘Charity of the Year’ as it is a fantastic opportunity that greatly benefits us.