Category: News

On Friday 3rd May seven local teams including; The Elstead Hotel, Nationwide, Bourne Space, Laceys Solicitors, Christchurch Rowing Club and Poole Amateur Rowing Club went head to head to row 10,000m in the quickest time all to raise money to support visually impaired people across Dorset!

The virtual rowing challenge that took place in Bournemouth Square, raised just under £1000, as well as vital awareness of the charities work.  The challenge event held in Bournemouth town centre, caused a real buzz from the teams competing. This year Christchurch Rowing Club and Poole Amateur Rowing Club went head to head in their challenge, with Poole Amatuer Rowing Club coming out on the top with an impressive time of just 33:32, narrowly beating Christchurch Rowing Club with a time of 34:58.

David Younger from Nationwide in Bournemouth, said The Big Row is ‘A great way to raise awareness and funds for a truly worthy cause, engaging local businesses whilst creating a fun and competitive environment.‘

Check out the photos from the day here.

Check out our latest E-Newsletter here.

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Our first ever Bright for Sight Night Run in Weymouth took place on Saturday 13th April along Weymouth Seafront, sponsored by Friths Opticians. 65 runners took on the 5k or 10k challenge, successfully raising just over £1300!

The event was kick started with a Zumba warm up by local instructor Lou Sams, getting the runners raring to go before setting off on their run. The popular ‘Bright for Sight’ theme saw participants don their neon clothing, glow sticks, glow paint, fabulous tutus and colourful fairy lights, lighting up the seafront as they ran. At the finish line, all participants received a bright for sight medal, certificate and a goody bag; with thanks to: Friths Opticians, Asda Weymouth, The Stable Weymouth, 3d Health and Fitness Wey Valley and Zumba Heat Lou Sams for their generous donations.

We hope you all will join us again for our next Bright for Sight Night Run in Boscombe on Saturday 14th September!

Check out the photos here.

We are ecstatic to receive the Small Charity Award from the Big Give Christmas Challenge Awards 2018! The awards recognise the best performing charities that take part in the UK’s biggest online match funding campaign each year.

We were eligible for the award by exceeding out fundraising target by almost £3000! The criteria for the award included; creative marketing, supporter engagement and by how much we exceeded out fundraising target. The judging panel headed by the Founder of The Big Give, Sir Alec Reed CBE said:

‘This year we had a number of high quality applications from charities tackling some of the biggest challenges in our society and our planet. The winning charities should be very proud of the impact their hard work and creativity has achieved. These case studies are excellent examples of good practice and I would urge charities participating in future Big Give campaigns to read through them. As with previous years, The Reed Foundation is pleased to award additional funds to all of the Christmas Challenge Award winners to support their important work.’

We are delighted to be recognised for our hard work during the campaign and be awarded the additional £1000 bonus from the Big Give!

Take a look at our case study here.

Check out our campaign video:

 

Our Dining in The Dark event, held at Escoffier Restaurant and Coastline Brassiere on Thursday 21st March was a hugely successful evening, raising nearly £2000! The successful event was run in association with Bournemouth and Poole College.

 

Our 42 guests were welcomed to a dimly lit room, to approximate something similar to what it is like to live with a visual impairment, with the added option of being completely blindfolded throughout their meal: effectively to simulate blindness.

 

The catering students at the college cooked a surprise six-course meal, with the onus on the diners to try and discern what it was they were eating using their sense of taste, smell and touch. We were also lucky enough to be joined by the BBC’s Sarah Farmer, who interviewed some of our guests and also tried out the dining experience for herself, for a piece on the following day’s South Today. Watch the video here:

 

 

We would like to thank all of our guests, the fantastic staff and the amazing students at Escoffier who made the night such a huge success!

Click here to see the photographs from the night!

The fantastic volunteers at the Ferndown Blind Club, that dedicate their time to support over 40 visually impaired people by running the fortnightly social club, providing and organising transport, organising entertainment and holding a raffle are to be celebrated for their fantastic achievement of long standing voluntary service. 

Shelley Newman, the longest volunteer at the club, celebrated 30 years in February and was awarded a hotel stay, thanks to Room to Reward, and her Certificate of Long Service for her fantastic achievement and dedication to the Ferndown Blind Club. Read more about Shirley’s voluntary service here.

Other long standing volunteers, including; Beryl Balinas celebrating 25 years, Eric Collingwood celebrating 15 years and Elizabeth Holt celebrating 10 years were awarded their Certificate of Long Service by Jonathan Holyhead, CEO of Dorset Blind Association.

We’d like to thank all of our volunteers that dedicate their time to support visually impaired people across Dorset and celebrate their outstanding contribution to the local community. Our long standing volunteers are a vital part of Dorset Blind Association that are hugely appreciated by everyone at DBA.

Elizabeth Holt

Beryl Balinas

Eric Collingwood

On Sunday 12th May,  we invite owners of classic & sports cars, motorbikes and all types of motor vehicles to join this years exclusive Lulworth Castle Motor Show.

The show promises to be a fantastic day out for all, kicking off with a 20 mile classic and sports car tour across the Dorset countryside from the Lulworth Estate.  The car enthusiasts will take to the roads of Dorset at 10:30am before arriving back at the beautiful Castle showground, which will be open free of charge to the general public from 11:00am. Alongside the showground will be a family fun day offering stalls, live performances, kids fun area and a wide selection of catering options.

The impressive show is extremely exclusive, particularly being the only Motor Show held within Lulworth Castle grounds, making the event hugely popular among car owners and is always very quick to sell out. Last year, the fantastic event was attended by over 150 cars and 2000 general public attendees, raising a phenomenal £5000 for the charity.

Mrs Olivia Akam who drives A 1964 Morris Minor Convertible says, “This really is a splendid and well thought out event. We love that we can relax by our cars in such a beautiful setting. The run out for the Classics is through beautiful countryside and the event provides so much for so many… a great family day out and for a great cause. I look forward to polishing the car for this one!”

Do you own a classic, sports or other motor vehicle and would like to be part of the Dorset tour and showground display? Entry is only £10 per person which includes tour entry and route information, showground display, bacon roll and hot drink at registration, exclusive entry to Lulworth Castle plus one free raffle ticket. Registration is from 9:00am.

Be in with a chance to win a weekend test drive of the latest BMW, plus a tour for two around the Mini Factory in Oxford! Raffle tickets £1 each or £5 for a book of 5, to be purchased on the day. The raffle will be drawn at 3pm on Sunday 12th May. Terms and conditions apply.

Sponsorship opportunities are available for local businesses wanting to support the event and promote their services.

For more information about the Lulworth Castle Motor Show, please call 01202 712864, email fundraising@dorsetblind.org.uk or go to https://lulworthmotorshow19.eventbrite.co.uk to enter.

Shirley Newman, member of the Ferndown Blind Club committee, celebrates her 30th anniversary of volunteering at the club. Shirley is the first point of contact for many of the members that attend the club, volunteering her time to organise and welcome over 40 regular club attendees. Starting in February 1989 she has dedicated her time over the years, acting as treasurer, volunteer, organiser and now committee member, to support blind and visually impaired people in Ferndown. Shirley is hugely valued by Dorset Blind Association and the club members that she gives her time too and deserves recognition for her outstanding contribution to the community. We’d like to thank Shirley and celebrate her accomplishment.

Shirley began volunteering at the Ferndown Blind Club, after her Father lived with Glaucoma and attended a social club ran by Bournemouth Blind Society. Through a friend, Shirley began volunteering at the Ferndown Blind Club and got so much out of it that she stayed for a further thirty, fantastic years. Shirley has enjoyed volunteering her time to help members of the Ferndown club, she feels that they are a marvellous group of people and has made lifelong friends with the members, fellow volunteers as well as the staff at Dorset Blind Association.