Author: brownbooth

Well then, ladies and gents: it’s that time of year again…

THE BIG GIVE CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE 2019 is here! Well, almost.

We’ve got past the pledging stage and so are halfway there. All that’s left now is a week-long window for donations to be made, and if we reach our £5,000 target – this will be doubled by our online champion and summer pledges. In a nutshell: whatever monies you donate will be doubled if we hit our target*.

This is a VERY important part of the fundraising year for Dorset Blind Association as it goes towards keeping our social clubs afloat throughout the year, so please, if you’re thinking of donating to us sometime this year, make it NEXT WEEK.

Come midday Tuesday 3rd December, a shiny red DONATE icon will appear on the screen via the link below and you’ll be able to donate, but only for seven days until midday Tuesday 10th December. After that, the opportunity will be gone until next year.

So, in a nutshell: please consider donating to us during THE BIG GIVE CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE, starting on #GivingTuesday

* please know that YOU don’t pay twice. There is an existing pot of money which we can claim if we hit our target.

Our thanks to the lovely folk of Mower Madness for supporting us this past year with their magnificent fundraising efforts. Our Lynne went along to their presentation evening on the weekend and snaffled up a wonderful comedy cheque for £400 – thanks so much, guys and gals!

Support from the community is crucial to us here at DBA as we receive no funding from the government, meaning 100% of what we do is only made possible by the generosity of our supporters.

Last week, Dorset Blind Association were delighted to welcome Lady Emma Fellowes and husband Julian, who have been patrons of the charity since 2015, to officially open tour new shop in Poole. The shop, which has come into being on the back of a £15,000 grant kindly donated by the Talbot Village Trust, is our fourth in East Dorset and has been set up underneath the main DBA office in Ashley Cross.

Also present on the day were members of Wimborne Rotary, who kindly donated funds to cover the cost of the shop’s EPOS till system, in turn helping to generate income in the longer term to fund community services in the East Dorset area.

Neil Hutchinson, Club President of Wimborne Rotary said: “Wimborne Rotary is pleased to have been able to donate £2,205 to support the opening of the new shop and the installation of the new till system which it needed. We wish the shop well and trust that it will prove a long-term and valuable source of income for the charity”.

Much like the other shops, the Ashley Cross site acts as part of DBA’s service delivery, doubling-up as a resource centre featuring equipment and literature designed to make the service more accessible. The shops also present an opportunity for visually impaired people to volunteer to gain useful skills and work experience should they wish.

Whilst at the shop opening, Lord Fellowes, who is the creator and writer of Downton Abbey, was kind enough to sign a Downton Abbey puzzle which we intend to raffle off over the coming months. DBA have also recently benefited from Lord Fellowes’ support after he recorded an introductory message which was played before screenings of the recent Downton Abbey film at the Regent Centre, which kindly allowed us to hold bucket collections in their foyer throughout the film’s theatrical run.

Gareth Owens, Corporate & Community Fundraiser for Dorset Blind Association said “We’re very humbled by today’s turnout, and especially for the fantastic support we’ve received from Talbot Village Trust, Wimborne Rotary and of course Lord and Lady Fellowes. The four shops represent an exciting avenue for us, not only in terms of funding our work but also in respect of promoting the charity and helping to raise a better level of public awareness of what we do and why we do it”.

A massive THANK YOU to The Regent Centre who very kindly let DBA take up residency in their foyer over the course of Downton Abbey‘s cinematic run at the venue, so we could carry out bucket collections.

Throughout a number of showings during September and October, staff and fundraising volunteers managed to raise a sterling £2561 from the venue’s kindly patrons. It was a fantastic opportunity not only to generate funds for the coffers but also to help promote the work we do here in supporting the blind and visually impaired community of Dorset.

We also benefited from the support of our patron, Julian Fellowes, the writer and creator of both the series and film, who was kind enough to record a special message of support which was played before each showing of the film, urging cinemagoers to dig deep for the work of Dorset Blind Association and giving our presence some context – thanks, Julian!

You can read more about the collections and the Regent Centre here.

Do you know we have over 1,000 CDs in our audio library that members can borrow, free of charge?

Of course we’re always looking for new titles to keep our members entertained, so if you have any unwanted audio books, we’d absolutely love to have them donated to us. We promise they’ll be treasured and listened to for years to come – simply call the office on 01202 712869 and we’ll make all the arrangements.

This week is National Eye Health week so perhaps it’s a good time to share FOUR top tips for keeping your eyes in tip-top condition.

1 Eat a healthy, varied diet rich in Vitamin A, C, E and Lutein: such as eggs; oranges; leafy green vegetables (particularly kale and spinach); tomatoes; nuts and seeds.

2 STOP SMOKING (or at least cut down)! Smoking is the biggest ‘modifiable’ risk factor for macular disease, with smokers being 4 times more likely to develop age-related macular degeneration than non-smokers.

3 Protect your eyes from both blue and ultraviolet light all year round. It’s not just your skin that can get cancer from the sun, and UV light has also been implicated in the development of cataracts and possibly macular degeneration. Choose good quality overshades and always ensure they are European CE kitemarked.

4 Have regular sight tests which can detect signs of some conditions such as glaucoma, which can be treated if found soon enough. An eye test may also detect other undiagnosed health conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

A massive THANK YOU from all of us here at DBA to all of you who had a hand in making our Bright For Sight fun run last Saturday such a glowing success – you were simply MAGNIFICENT.

You know who you are: all those frisky souls who came along to run, walk, skip and amble their way along the promenade; our motley crew of fantastic and ever-dependable volunteers; the local businesses who kindly donated bits and pieces to help make up our goody bags; and of course our mighty sponsors Parley Optometrists. We are very humbled by the support we receive year-on-year from our community and all of you should give yourselves a hearty pat on the back as you did yourselves, us and all the people we support proud.

Have you seen our excellent new vans? They are quite MIGHTY. Always nice to pick up some new wheels and, as you can see in the photo, Jonathan and Jim couldn’t be happier: especially Jim as his is much faster (presumably).

Thanks to Insignia Signs for the graphics and The Sandford Pub for looking so delightful in the background 😁

Speaking of vans…

We are looking for a volunteer van driver to help support our burgeoning legion of charity shops, with the role involving:

• collecting donated items from people who are unable to get to the shops
• distributing items to, surplus items from, and transfers between, the shops

So, if you are someone who:

• has a clean driving licence
• enjoys driving around the Bournemouth and Poole area
• enjoys meeting people from all walks of life
• has several free hours a week to put to good use
• is happy to be part of a team which generates vital income for Dorset Blind Association

then please contact our CEO, Jonathan Holyhead, on 01202 712861 or email him at jonathan@dorsetblind.org.uk

We love a positive story – and THIS is a positive story.

Last week, Leah, our Community Support Worker for North & West Dorset and The Purbecks (yes, quite a mouthful, that) presented a Room to Reward certificate to our fabulous volunteer, Annie Colligan.

Annie has just completed 10 years as a loyal and passionate home visitor and was very grateful/slightly cross that Leah had nominated her.

Our thanks to Room to Reward for their fabulous gifts that we can pass on to to our brilliant volunteers.