Category: News

It’s back – AND BIGGER THAN EVER!

Dorset Blind Association’s prestigious Motor Show returns to Lulworth Castle for its 6th year on Sunday 3rd May and it’s set to be bigger than ever before!

Welcoming over 3,500 attendees in 2019, this family day out promises to be a fantastic day for all ages; with a 20 mile motor tour around the beautiful Dorset countryside, Castle Showground with vehicle display of over 200 cars, local stall holders, kids area plus live entertainment.

The Castle Showground will be open to the public for FREE from 11:00am until 4:00pm! Come along and view the fantastic motors that will be on display in the Castle Showground, potter around the stalls selling local produce and goods, enjoy a variety of delicious food stalls, catering for vegetarians and vegans, and enjoy entertainment by a local musicians and big bands! There is also a kids area with bouncy castle, face painting and activities!

This event is in aid of Dorset Blind Association and all funds raised supports those living with slight loss in your local area to live a full and happy life.

Dorset Tour and Showground (information for vehicle owners):

ADVANCED BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL AS THERE ARE LIMITED PLACES

– Entry is £10.00pp (Incl. tour entry and route sheet, bacon bap and hot drink, Showground entry, entry to the Castle, PLUS 1 FREE raffle ticket).

– Tour registration is open from 9:00am in the Lulworth Castle car park, for a 10:30am set off. The tour will then cover approx. 20 miles around the Dorset countryside – arriving back at the Lulworth Estate at approximately 11:00 / 11:30am.

– Raffle: drawn at 3:00pm on Sunday 3rd May. Our fantastic prizes will be announced very soon!

For more information, please email events@dorsetblind.org.uk or call on 01202 712865

Now, whilst Santa is generally VERY GOOD at delivering presents that suit us down to a tee, sometimes the old boy can leave us with a large, ornate wooden seahorse that might be better off with someone else…

If this is the case for you, you could certainly do worse than to donate it to one of our FOUR magnificent charity shops where it will not only go to someone who has been looking for it for ages, but the money they spend on it will go towards supporting our services about the county – WIN-WIN!

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.