brownbooth, Author at Dorset Blind Association

Downton Abbey Premiere

Posted on 30 August 2019 by brownbooth

Arguably one of the most eagerly-awaited films of the year, Downton Abbey will be premiering in the UK on Friday September 13th. With Lord Fellowes, the film’s writer and creator, being one of Dorset Blind Association’s patrons, The Regent Centre have kindly allowed us to have a presence on opening night with an information stall and bucket collections held throughout the day.

As a delightful extra, Lord Fellowes has recorded a small video to precede each screening during the film’s run at the cinema, illustrating his support for DBA. An absolutely wonderful gesture to link in with a highly-anticipated film and also with The Regent Centre itself, which has always been so supportive of DBA in the past.

The film itself centers around a royal visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Downton: a storyline inspired by a trip they really took to Wentworth Woodhouse in Yorkshire in 1912.

“I was looking for a storyline that affected everyone,” Lord Fellowes says. “We used to do that in the Christmas specials as well, where they went to Scotland — or wherever — and it would affect the servants as much as it would affect the family.”

We’re certainly excited to be a small part of it.

David’s VI Guide Story

Posted on 15 August 2019 by brownbooth

With our BRIGHT FOR SIGHT fun run coming up in a few weeks, this seems like a good time to talk about VI guides for runners. “What’s a VI guide?”, you may well ask…

Well, click here and David, who is one of our members, will bring you up to speed with HIS story…

Big Give Christmas Challenge

Posted on 5 August 2019 by brownbooth

It’s the BIG GIVE CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE again!

Once again, Dorset Blind Association are enrolled in the annual BIG GIVE CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE campaign to help support our key Dorset social clubs for visually impaired people. This year, we’re hoping to reach a target of £10,000 and we’re asking for your help in the Pledging stage, where we hope to reach a target of £2,500 by August 30th.

During this stage, charities like us secure Pledges over the summer window. These funds are then boosted by funds from a Big Give Online Champion who contributes a matched amount, thereby doubling the pledge monies.

To Pledge, you register on the website via this link:

Pledge to Dorset Blind Association’s BIG GIVE CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE campaign!

and then we will contact you after the campaign ends to take the actual money – no monies are actually donated by you until this time.

Without the generosity of our supporters, DBA simply wouldn’t be able to exist as a charity so it’s hugely important to us that campaigns such as this are successful year-on-year as they make up a sizeable percentage of our fundraising strategy.

With your help, we can do this!

Making Homes Safer For People Living With Sight Loss

Posted on 25 July 2019 by brownbooth

It’s not often we post articles outside of DBA’s main interests and objectives in our NEWS section but this article is a good read about making homes safer for people living with sight loss. The article includes thoughts from a vision loss specialist, who has lived with low vision her whole life due to cone-rod dystrophy.

Hannah and Frankie Take to The Skies

Posted on 22 July 2019 by brownbooth

Well, it finally happened! After THREE cancelled jumps, our intrepid skydivers, Frankie and Hannah of Beales Gourmet Catering and The Italian Villa fame, finally managed to get into a plane and OUT of a plane (in some style) with their sponsored skydive over Salisbury yesterday with the GoSkydive crew, raising a magnificent £760 for Dorset Blind Association in the process – AWESOME!

If doing a tandem skydive is on YOUR bucket list, please do get email gareth@dorsetblind.org.uk for information on how we can get you into the air with the minimum of fuss and the maximum of fun(draising)!

Upcoming Collections

Posted on 15 July 2019 by brownbooth

Be like Liz! If any of you kindly folk are interested at all in helping us out with local bucket collections, we have the following coming up in the next couple of months:

Thursday 1st August – TESCO Branksome

Tuesday 20th August – TESCO Blandford

Friday 6th September – Wimborne Town Centre

Friday 23rd August – Wimborne Town Centre

Friday 6th September – Wimborne Town Centre

Simple two hour shift (one of 10-12; 12-2; 2-4) of holding a donation bucket for benevolent types to drop their pennies and pounds in. You don’t need any detailed knowledge about the charity, what we do or who we support – a sprawling information stand will be on site 🙂

Please email Gareth at gareth@dorsetblind.org.uk or call on 01202 712864 if you’re able to help out. We really appreciate your efforts, thanks.

Dorset For Singing

Posted on 9 July 2019 by brownbooth

As it nears the end of its 11th year, Dorset For Singing shows no sign of slowing down. With a membership of around 170 culled from Dorchester, Weymouth, Portland and surrounding areas, the community choir has become well-known in key community events and has raised over £15,000 for good causes from concert revenues.

This year, the Weymouth and Portland branch kindly supported Dorset Blind Association, voted by the choir members. During the year, they managed to raise an impressive £1300 for us to put towards our services for local blind and partially sighted people in the area. Last week, they kindly welcomed us to a rehearsal at All Saints School in Wyke Regis for a cheque presentation with our member, Sam Cole. Now THERE’s a colourful photo! Thanks, guys and gals!

Choirmaster and director, Ed Hintze, said “We have very much enjoyed supporting our nominated charity, the Dorset Blind Association. Although our emphasis is on singing for enjoyment, it is great that a bi-product our singing is to raise money and awareness for local and national charities.”

Subscriptions are just £3 and there are further discounts for termly or annual membership. Anybody interested in joining is welcome to turn up to a rehearsal when the new term starts on Wednesday 25th September – your first session is FREE. For further information please call Jenny, Choir Manager, on 07723453619.

Haskins Bucket Collection Dates

Posted on 3 July 2019 by brownbooth

We have been lucky enough to secure a number of bucket collection days at Haskins Garden Centre, Ferndown this month. If you, or indeed anyone you know, might be able to spare a couple of hours to help out, please contact Gareth at gareth@dorsetblind.org.uk or call the fundraising office on 01202 712864. You don’t need to have any knowledge of the charity to help as we will have an information stand on site – just a willingness to hold a bucket and smile.

Brand New Flag For a Flagship Shop

Posted on 1 July 2019 by brownbooth

Quick bit of celebratory Dorset Blind Association news for you in that our flagship Ferndown shop is 100 WEEKS OLD this week – hurrah! And what better way of celebrating a flagship shop than popping a brand spanking new feather FLAG right outside. Certainly a good day for it!

Judith’s Anniversary

Posted on 28 June 2019 by brownbooth

What An Accomplishment!

This week we celebrated a milestone for Judith as she reached 40 years as a volunteer for Dorset Blind Association, so we took the opportunity to throw a little get together for her and present her with a few tokens of our appreciation. From her early days as a volunteer to eventually becoming Chairman, Judith has seen the charity change “out of all recognition” during her tenure, progressing into what it is today.

Judith originally joined up with DBA (then operating as Dorset County Association for the Blind) when she moved to Christchurch and answered an advert in the local paper asking for voluntary drivers who could spare an hour a month to drive blind people to their respective social clubs. She quickly followed this up by arranging transport, helping to run the club, meeting home visitors and social workers for the newly-formed sensory loss team, and then established herself on the charity’s executive committee before becoming Vice Chairman and Chairman. It’s safe to say Judith has covered her fair share of roles during her time with us, so much so that her presence is woven into the fabric of the charity itself.

Thank you, Judith.