We have had a very busy month here at DBA, hosting a huge variety of fundraising events around the county; from a music night in Bournemouth to our annual motor show at Lulworth Castle and our virtual race night in Weymouth to an Adele Tribute at The Sandford Pub!
Take a read to find out more about what we have been up to, how success our annual Motor Show was and what exciting things we have coming up, click here.
Thousands visited Lulworth Castle to support our annual Motor Show which took place on Sunday 13th May. This hugely successful and well attended event showcased over 160 cars in the motor display, welcomed over 2,000 general public visitors, raising an incredible £5,152.00!
This prestigious event, now in its fourth year, was kindly sponsored by Humphries Kirk, Imerys, Domvs and Dorset Catering Services and was held within the picturesque Lulworth Estate courtesy of James Weld DL, who is the President of Dorset Blind Association.
James Weld DL, of the Lulworth Estate, said: “The Dorset Blind Association is a charity I am tremendously proud to support, as did my father and grandfather before me. It is fantastic to see their Classic Car event growing year on year – I think this year must have been the biggest yet that we’ve had at Lulworth Castle. I know how vital the work of the charity is to help blind and partially sighted people across Dorset. The charity’s small number of dedicated staff and large group of volunteers do a wonderful job and I am always very pleased to be able to help in any way I can”
The event set motorists out on a 20 mile tour around the Dorset countryside, following in convoy, before returning to Lulworth to display their beautiful motors at the Castle Showground. The event saw thousands of local supporters, holiday makers and car enthusiasts descend on the Castle throughout the day, creating an incredible community buzz.
The Motor Show and Family Fun Day was open to the public free of charge and had something for all ages to enjoy; a selection of local stalls selling handmade goods and local produce, entertainment, a kids area with bouncy castle, face painting and an exclusive visit from the ever popular Peppa Pig! Attendees enjoyed relaxing in the afternoon sun with a glass of prosecco from The Fizz Tin and a gourmet burger from Dorset Catering Services, who also supplied the refreshments before the Dorset Tour to the car owners.
Barry Heath, event attendee and member of the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club – Dorset Region, said, ‘Although it was the fourth year the Dorset Blind Association hosted the Motor Show and Rally, it was the first time the Dorset Region of the Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club and 13 cars attended the show. We had Jaguars ranging from a 1934 SS1, XK150, E-Types to an 2004 XK and attracted many visitors. I have to say I cannot fault the Dorset Blind Association for the organisation and all our members really enjoyed the day. The wonderful news is the Car Show raised over £5,000 for the Association.’
Our annual Motor Show and Family Fun Day will be returning to Lulworth Castle once again in 2019 and will be held on Sunday 12th May, get it in your diaries now! For more information, contact the fundraising department on 01202 712864 or email fundraising@dorsetblind.org.uk
The Lions Club of Bridport heard the story of Jack Kick from Bev Jones at the Dorset Blind Association.
Jack, aged 21, suffered a brain haemorrhage in 2009. This caused damage to the back of his eyes leaving him visually impaired and is now registered as partially sighted. The brain haemorrhage also caused him to have poor balance and short-term memory loss.
Jack now manages with his condition well thanks to the support of his family. The support available has meant he is able to attend Weymouth College. Jack also attends social group Socialeyes in Bridport whenever he can. Life can be tough at times for Jack, but he remains positive.
Sheila Burton, lion president, presented Jack with an Amazon Echo.
Sheila said: “I am sure Jack will benefit from his new friend, Alexa, who will be an asset both educationally and for fun.”
Jack on receiving his Echo, said: “It’s brilliant. I use it to answer questions like what is the day or time, instead of always asking mum. I set reminders and Alexa answers my general knowledge questions too.”
A spokesman from the Dorset Blind Association said: “We’re thrilled to be able to help our member, Jack, further with the donation of an Amazon Echo. New technology is developing quickly, and this is just one example of the positive impact it can have on those living with sight loss by making everyday activities easier and more accessible.”
Bridport Lions is celebrating its 45th anniversary, and the donation to Jack highlighted their continued work within the community.
Read more of the article here
We are celebrating our 100th Anniversary this year, returning to Lulworth Castle on Sunday 13th May with our annual motor show and family fun day. A fantastic family day out not to be missed, with entertainment for all ages! The Castle Showground will be open to the general public from 12:00pm – 4:00pm and is free entry, however Lulworth parking charges will apply.
Take a wonder around the motor display, showcasing over 100 vehicles set in front of the beautiful castle; classics to motorbikes, modified cars to retro campervans, plus the exclusive appearance of the Aston Martin Vanquish S Red Arrows car (otherwise known as the Aston Martin Red 10). The showground will offer a variety of artisan stalls selling local produce and handmade goods, with catering available all afternoon provided by Dorset Catering Services and live entertainment from local groups. Let your children enjoy activities in our kids area, with a bouncy castle, face painting, stalls and a visit from Peppa Pig.
Katy Renault attended the event last year with her family and said, ‘We all had a great day out at the Motor Show and the sun was shining! We really enjoyed wandering around the showground and looking at all the fantastic cars on display. We will definitely be back again in 2018 and look forward to being part of the charities centenary celebrations.’
Lulworth Estate kindly offer the use of the Castle grounds to Dorset Blind Association for our annual Motor Show, the only one that is held at Lulworth, as the owner James Weld is the current president of our charity. Dorset Blind Association are very thankful to all the sponsors who have made this event possible, especially Imerys and Humphries Kirk solicitors who are the main event sponsors.
Simon Cross, partner at Humphries Kirk, commented: “We’re proud to be supporting Dorset Blind Association at the Lulworth Castle Motor Show this year, it’s a great event for families to come along to and see some classic cars as well as enjoying the magnificent surroundings of the castle. We’d also like to wish the charity all the best for celebrating its 100th anniversary this year – a marvellous achievement for a local organisation.”
The need for our services are ever increasing and with the number of people living with visual impairment due to hit 35,000 in Dorset alone, the demand is high. We hope to receive additional support with fundraising during our centenary, as well as the chance to raise vital awareness in the local community for sight loss. Currently we support over 1000 visually impaired people every month which is powered by 300+ volunteers.
To mark our Centenary, we are holding a campaign throughout the year encouraging individuals or groups to be a member of The 100 Club. They are looking for 100 kind people to raise £100 by carrying out a fundraising activity or by making a donation. For more information or to set up your fundraising page click here.
Next Friday The Sandford Pub are holding an Adele Tribute night in aid of Dorset Blind Association.
Expect a night full of music, lovely food and raising funds for visually impaired people across Dorset.
Ticket & Two Course Meal – £25
Only 70 tickets available
Standing ticket – £12
Only 50 tickets available
To purchase tickets please call 01929 550800 or speak to a member of staff when visiting the pub.
As the weather is finally starting to brighten up, we look forward to our fun-fueled motor show at Lulworth Castle as we gear up and head full throttle into a busy summer of fundraising!
Don’t forget about the new GDPR Legislation which comes into place in May! We need you to re-register here if you want to stay up to date and receive our future newsletters. We have so many exciting things for you to look forward to and being signed up is the best way to be kept in the loop. Read more here
It’s our 100th anniversary! For a century we’ve been helping visually impaired people across Dorset, now supporting over 1000 people each month, but there is still more people we need to help. It’s a big year for us and we want as many of our loyal supporters to be involved as possible, from being part of The 100 Club to joining our celebratory events! Read more here
On Friday 9th March ten local business teams descended on Bournemouth Square for The Big Row 2018 sponsored by All Seasons Roof. This year we had teams from a variety of industries, from hotels to banks, business consultants to I.T Support and solicitors to conservatory installation companies. The aim for each business was to see who could row 10,000 metres the fastest with teams of 4-6 people. Each team brought plenty of character and made the day thoroughly enjoyable, despite the rain progressively getting worse throughout the day!
This year’s winners were the reigning champions Nationwide with a speedy time of 39m 00s. They received a team voucher for the Cyantist Escape Room and six 30 minute massages from BWT Physio, both which were kindly donated. Vanguard Security Services had a dramatic sprint finish but just came up short by 8 seconds to take the runners-up spot, winning a huntfun treasure hunt voucher.
The participants throughout the day were able to indulge in cereal bars, snacks and water supplied to us by Sainsburys Local Poole and Tesco Branksome. Each rower also took away with them a goody bag full of vouchers from places such as El Murrino, Nativ and Fitness First Poole.
Overall the event raised an incredible £1429.30 for our charity! £500 is able to pay for 125 visually impaired people to be visited in their homes so this just shows how far this money will go towards helping people struggling with sight loss across Dorset. Thank you to everyone who was involved and we hope to see you next year!
More photos of the day can be found here and the after movie can be watched here, enjoy!
As Dorset Blind Association (DBA) prepares to celebrate its 100th birthday and receive the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the charity is looking back on its fascinating evolution, from setting up Braille social centres in both Weymouth and Parkstone in the 1920s, to enabling blind people to even shoot and rock climb today.
The founding of the DBA in 1918 coincided with the very late stages of the First World War and sweeping changes in both social and political attitudes.
The first President was Lady Portman, who lived then at Bryanston House, near Blandford Forum.
Since then many other well- known local land owning families and dignitaries have held key offices for the charity.
Lord Digby of Minterne House was a long-serving President and three successive generations of the Weld family, from Lulworth, have held that office, including James Weld DL as the current President.
The charity is also proud to have Lord Julian and Lady Emma Fellowes as patrons, along with BAFTA winning film director Stephen Frears, whose own actor son Sam who enjoys the DBA’s acoustic shooting, in which blind and partially sighted people can embrace the challenge of target rifle shooting.
Jonathan Holyhead, CEO of the DBA said: “The sophisticated technology which allows this activity didn’t exist when the charity first started, but DBA has always been ground breaking in the help and freedom it has offered the county’s blind and sight impaired people.”
He continued: “Braille social centres were set up in both Weymouth and Parkstone and the charity’s first ‘home teacher’ was employed in the 1920’s.
“Living on Portland, Lucy Scholes was provided with a car for travel and in her report in December 1926 she recorded having made 300 visits since 16thAugust that year, giving lessons in Moon (a system of raised shapes), Braille, knitting and basket-work.”
While acknowledging the usefulness of having the car, Lucy did include in her report that: “At first it did not behave very well, but after being overhauled by the Yeovil agent it is doing better and about 2,500 miles have been covered.”
Until the National Assistance Act of 1948 and the arrival of the welfare state, the charity continued to deliver many of the support services which are now more commonly associated with social services and our local authorities. But even as this role changed, Dorset Blind Association continued to play a significant part in the provision of help and support for visually impaired people in Dorset.
Belmont Court, a home for blind people, was opened in Parkstone in the 1950s and over the years a significant number of social and activity clubs were established, each providing much needed opportunities for people to enjoy the company and companionship of others.
Services provided by the charity have tried to keep pace with the times and Dorset Blind Association prides itself on a practical and innovative approach, often trying new ideas while others stick rigidly to tradition.
In 2006 it pioneered a mobile equipment service, demonstrating specialist aids and equipment in people’s homes, and it currently provides a number of community based services, all aiming to help people come to terms with their sight loss and then still enjoy functional independence, personal safety and social participation in their local community.
Volunteers have always played a key part in the work of the charity and just last year this was recognised by Dorset Blind Association being selected to receive the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.
Jonathan Holyhead added: “This is a tremendous honour and I am so pleased that the incredibly valuable work of our wonderful volunteers and the charity as a whole has been recognised in this way.”
The Award will be officially presented at an event to be held at Lulworth Castle in July.
Jonathan continued: “Dorset Blind Association staff and volunteers are all proud of what we collectively achieve in our endeavours to help people who suffer serious sight loss and live in this lovely county of Dorset.
“The charity reaching the landmark of a century of service is definitely something to celebrate, but at the same time, especially because of our ageing population, we know that we are almost certainly going to be needed for at least the next 100 years too!”
Angie has been a member of Dorset Blind Association since 2009. “My specialist said a couple of years ago I would be lucky if I had any sight left in five years, so I want to get out and make the most of the vision I have while I can.” Angie has found purpose through the Dorset Blind Association and is now an active member taking part in various activities, including visually impaired tennis and acoustic shooting and has the aim of competing at a national level due to her competitive drive. She also meets up with our other members through our social groups once a month. “My friends are my biggest support and I’ve made quite a few through the charity.”
DBA would like to hear from local people whose own lives, or those of loved ones have been touched in some way by the charity. Any records, photos or other information relating to the history of the charity which can also be shared would also be greatly appreciated. Please contact Jo Randall at the Dorset Blind Association by e-mail jo@dorsetblind.org.uk or by telephone on 01202 712865
To find out more about how you can support us and fundraise throughout our centenary, please visit our 100 club page here
We hope you’ve had a fantastic Christmas and we wish you all a Happy New Year! We are looking forward to an exciting 2018 as we get ready to celebrate our 100th Birthday. First, banish those January blues by taking up Fitness February! Read more here..
