Tom is one of our younger members. You may well have seen him out and about with us on collections down the years, or possibly on one of our posters or pull-ups (very much the poster boy for DBA is young Mr Archer), or possibly just waterskiing past you down on Sandbanks beach.
Here, Tom discusses what he has been doing to pass the time during the lockdown.
Have you heard about The 2.6 Challenge?
Well, like for so many other charities throughout the land, COVID-19 has been devastating for Dorset Blind Association’s finances due to the lost income from cancelled fundraising events: most notably our annual Motor Show.
In response to the current crisis facing us and other charities, a new fundraising initiative has been set up to try and help us brave the storm: and the best thing is, you can do it anywhere – including your own home!
The challenge can be anything you dream up, as long as it incorporates the number 2.6 or 26 and be on or from Sunday 26th April (the 40th London Marathon, which is the world’s biggest one-day fundraising event, was meant to take place this day, you see).
There are loads of things you could do: run 2.6 miles; do 26 minutes of juggling; complete 26 laps of your garden; if you’re a real sucker for punishment, try and make it through 26 minutes of that atrocious London Has Fallen film – even bearing 2.6 minutes would be an achievement! Anyway, there’s a host of ideas available here on the official page.
There are no rules– apart from the Government guidelines on how to exercise safely during this time, naturally – and the challenge is suited to people of all ages and abilities. The main thing is to get busy, have fun and pledge whatever you can to fundraise to save the UK’s charities.
You can donate here or fundraise here via JustGiving or donate directly via the DBA page. Once you’ve set up a fundraising page, don’t forget to post it on social media with the hashtag #TwoPointSixChallenge and tag us. Likewise, do the same with any photos you post on social media platforms so we can share with our followers:
Facebook – @DorsetBlind
Instagram – @dorset.blind
Twitter – @DorsetBlind
Go on: be a Home Hero and raise funds from your lounge, garden, bedroom or balcony. Or bath! Ooh, and please do share this with your chums by nominating them as well so they can think about pitching in too!
Any questions? Please email Gareth at gareth@dorsetblind.org.uk
Community is very much the name of the game at Dorset Blind Association
With our charity shops now closed for the moment, our fantastic staff and volunteers have been putting themselves to good use in the community, supporting the vulnerable in this time of uncertainty.
Julia, manager of our Southbourne branch, has volunteered to collect prescriptions and shopping for vulnerable people in her area, with Sue and Andrea, who volunteer at the shop, also helping in the scheme. There’s obviously a real need out there at the moment for volunteers in the community, and it’s fantastic to see DBA stepping up to help.
During this incredibly difficult time, all of us are being challenged and moved in ways that seemed almost unimaginable just a few weeks ago.
Here at Dorset Blind Association, we move on: our priority, as always, to support our community in every way still available to us. Granted, we may not be able to go out and visit our members face-to-face but our amazing team continue to work in other ways, supporting our members over the phone and guiding them through what is a particularly unsettling time.
Though our range of services adapt and continue, the current lockdown means our fundraising opportunities have dramatically reduced. The necessary restrictions brought in by government mean that we can no longer fundraise through our community activities (bucket collections, quiz nights, collection tins, etc) and events like our Motor Show. This leaves us with a considerable hole in our income.
In fact, most charities will be expecting around 50% loss of voluntary income due to coronavirus – whilst almost half will expect a great increase in demand.
We appreciate that times are difficult for many people but, if you have the means and the inclination, please donate to Dorset Blind Association HERE
The next few months will be challenging for all of us and, as we rely almost exclusively on the generosity of the community, your support has never been so important to us and the vulnerable people we support – thank you.
We’re all in this together #DorsetTogether
