Our CEO Jonathan Holyhead recently spoke to Radio Solent about our virtual befriending services and the great work our volunteers and members are doing to support each other.
Listen to the interview below:
Month: September 2020
Community Support Updates
What have our very own Fab Four been up to? A recent survey by one of our sister charities showed that of almost 1,000 blind and visually impaired people only 17% of respondents were contacted by their local sensory team during the first ten weeks of the pandemic lockdown. We would expect similar numbers here.
However, our Fab Four took a pro-active approach very early on – contacting people that we knew to see how they were coping and what we could do to help. Our Community Support Workers have made more than 1500 calls in this period, and are still going strong!
As a result we were able to help people get the support they needed and set up regular contact using phone buddies, telephone chat groups and Zoom.
Have you been one of the people we reached out to?
FREDDIE HAS SMASHED IT!
Freddie is doing his Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award this year and as part of that, has ridden his bike more than 300km throughout the summer holidays to raise funds for Dorset Blind Association. He smashed his fundraising goal of £750 by raising an amazing £1570! His support team, Mum (Kate) and brother (Alexander) also deserve kudos for cycling along with him. We are so appreciative of his effort on our behalf, especially since we cannot undertake our usual fundraising activities.
If you want to take on a challenge of your own click on the link. https://dorsetblind.org.uk/help-us/fundraising-2/challenge-events/
TV Licence Changes
From 1 August 2020, the concessions scheme for over 75’s is changing. If you or someone you live with is blind (severely sight impaired), regardless of their age, you could receive a 50% discount on the cost of a TV licence. If you receive Pension credit or Pension Savings credit you should be eligible for a 100% discount. If you are unsure, please call our benefits specialist Leah on 07789997620 who can do a calculation for you.
