SIGHTLINE

Winter 2013

Winter is on the way, though recently it feels like it’s here already. Whether you are at home or out and about, we ask that everyone wraps up warm by adding on that extra layer during the colder weather. If you need any assistance during the winter holidays, please get in touch with us at our Centre.

Everyone at Support 4 Sight would like to wish all its members and everyone that has visited the centre over the last year a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We would also like to take the opportunity to advise you that Support 4 Sight’s offices will be closed over the Christmas period. Our centre will be closing on Monday 24th December at 12 noon and will re-open on Friday 3rd January.

Sightline ContentsNews from Support 4 Sight..............................................................- 2 -Support 4 Sight Feature..................................................................- 5 -Support 4 Sight Events and Activities..............................................- 8 -Support 4 Sight Past Outings and Events.....................................- 12 -Jokes............................................................................................. - 14 -National Update.............................................................................- 15 -Useful Information.........................................................................- 17 -Numbers You Might Find Useful....................................................- 17 -Talking Newspapers Contact Numbers.........................................- 17 -Noticeboard...................................................................................- 20 -Contact us..................................................................................... - 21 -Return Slip – We Would Like To Hear From You..........................- 21 -

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Supporting people with sight loss in EssexRegistered charity number: 1074812

News from Support 4 SightLloyds Community FundWe are delighted with the news that we will be awarded £3,000 from the Lloyds Bank Community Fund. The public were asked to vote in store, online or by text and we’re pleased that we have received a high level of support from the local community. Thank you so much if you voted for us!

Nicola’s Fundraising QuizGreat News! Thanks to the brilliant fundraising efforts of our wonderful volunteer, Nicola Smith, we have received a wonderful donation of £269!

Nicola raised these funds through her quiz night and it will be spent supporting our monthly Saffron Walden Coffee Mornings.

(Here's a photo of Nicola with our mascot, Seymour).

Thank you so much, Nicola - You're a real star!

Charity of the SeasonThis year Saffron Walden Football Club has chosen Support 4 Sight as their Charity of the Season and on Saturday 19th October, Seymour went along to a game and met the chairman of the club. We will be there collecting again on Saturday 21st December, for the big Christmas game with a 3pm kick-off! If you are going along to the match, stop by and greet Seymour, our staff and volunteers.

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Fire Walking - Article by Linda Pollard, Volunteer On November 6th a brave group of people made their way to Saffron Walden Rugby Club - not the easiest venue to find in the dark - to take part in a sponsored fire-walk to raise funds for Support 4 Sight.

The weather was not ideal - blustery with a forecast of heavy rain. Usually the fire is lit well in advance of the walk but the company running the fire-walk, Time 4 Change, needed to keep the wood dry for as long as possible. They were getting regular weather updates from the Met Office and they decided to bring the walk forward 15 minutes to avoid the forecast downpour.

The participants were given a pre-walk talk by Cliff, from Time 4 Change. He was very down-to-earth and addressed any concerns we might have. He even managed to get us to do that most un-English of things - look happy and give a big whooping cheer!

Meanwhile the wood for the fire had been doused with paraffin and was being kept lit with a flame-thrower. The participants assembled round the fire and we were told to take off our shoes and socks. This is when we discovered that a rugby club car park is not a comfortable surface on which to walk. Despite it having been swept prior to setting up, there were still plenty of little stones to stick into our feet. In fact, we were looking forward to the relative comfort of the fire!

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Time 4 Change raked the wood, and sparks flew up in the wind. It was very gusty, but they managed to control the fire so everybody was able to do the walk. Cliff pointed his laser thermometer at the embers, telling us that they were burning at between 1100 and 1300 degrees - rather hotter than the usual 800 degrees, because the wind was fanning the flames! We leaned over the fire to feel the heat radiating from it - we would be walking on that soon.

We lined up and, in turn, we were asked, "What's your name?" After replying we were asked, "Are you ready?" Each person answered, "Yes!" and set off through the fire to cheers and applause from the other participants and from the spectators who had braved the weather to support us.

It seemed to be over in a fiery flash. It is an amazing thing to have been able to do, I'd recommend it if you get the chance.

Tour De FranceDo you have any ideas for next year’s event? The route will be coming by the Centre and we love to use it to raise funds for our Centre. So we need your ideas on how we could fundraise at this big event! Please contact Margaret with your ideas.

Christmas CardsCould you use some help writing your Christmas Cards? Call us at the Resource Centre to arrange a day to come in and have yours written for you!

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If you still need to buy your cards, ours are now on sale this year at £3.50 for a pack of ten or £10 for three packs. For information on the designs or to purchase the cards, just drop into the centre.Volunteer Welcome We have a number of new volunteers to name this edition; we hope you will join us in welcoming them all!

Joining us in the Resource Centre will be Kym Hand, Brenda Badger, Alice Eddershaw and Lizzie Green. Also joining us is Mary Scott, helping with our newsletters and social media, Jim Entwistle as a volunteer driver and Lisa Wright, who will be helping to run the Outreach and Eye Clinics in Harlow.

Support 4 Sight Feature

Trustee Needed:Do you want to make a real difference in our local community of blind and partially sighted people? Could you add value to the overall management and administration of our charity? To strengthen its Board of Trustees, Support 4 Sight is looking to recruit a new trustee.We need someone to donate one day each month, working with a committed team of staff and volunteers. Would you like to play a part in delivering Support 4 Sight's strategic plan and vision for the future? For full information and an application form, please call our Director, Madeleine Cassidy, on 01799 523700.

Photos for Support 4 SightWe need your help! We are looking for people willing to have their picture taken and featured on our website and in marketing materials, to demonstrate the services and support we provide.

A few of the ideas we currently have include: using a magnifier to read a newspaper; being guided in and around the centre, using our computers and chatting to a member of staff.

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Discussions on which photos we need to take are on-going, but if you are interested and would like to support us, please get in touch! Would you like to try the role of a volunteer? You could become a role model and provide support to others with sight loss in the local community. Your own experiences of sight loss would be invaluable to someone who is newly diagnosed and not sure what to do next to remain independent.

Could you go along on home visits, sit in on inductions at the resource centre or make telephone calls offering support? You could also be part of a team to share your ideas and thoughts on Support 4 Sight’s fundraising activities or help with organising and planning social trips.

No skills are necessary and if you would like to discuss any possibilities (even those not mentioned above) with a member of staff, please call 01799 523700 or drop into the centre.

Have your say!We’re here to listen, and want to hear from you.

We would like to know if anyone has had any experiences in the home, on the phone or when out and about, which were particularly good or bad. Did you have someone extremely helpful on the phone? Are there any stores you would avoid after being treated unfairly? Would you visit a local shop more often if their facilities or support were improved?

Whether it was a shop, restaurant, Council, Social Services, doctor, the job centre or anyone else you can think of. Whatever it may be, please let us know.

You can drop in, call, email or put an anonymous note through the door. Your details won’t be passed on to anyone and anything you say will be treated with strict confidentiality.

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My GuideThe My Guide service is a partnership between Guide Dogs and local blind societies, helping people with sight loss get out of their homes and back into the community.

Our trained staff and volunteers are looking for anyone who would like to be matched with them to participate in the scheme. If you are at home and find it difficult to get out on your own, then this scheme is aimed at you. We can match you with a volunteer who can meet with you on a regular basis to help build your confidence, make new friends and become more independent. Please contact Paul for more information.

RecyclingIf you have any old jewellery, mobiles, stamps or printer cartridges that you are looking to dispose of, consider passing them to us to recycle. Everything we recycle helps to raise funds for Support 4 Sight and goes towards the many services we provide.

Any of the items above you have for recycling can be dropped off at our Resource Centre in Saffron Walden.

We also take donations of items to sell on eBay or on our bookstall. For any more information about our recycling services, please contact Margaret on 01799 523700.

Book StallDo you have any books at home desperate to tell their story to someone new? If you have any books you no longer want to keep, please drop them into the centre. For larger donations of books, please check with Margaret beforehand to see if we can take them into the centre, by calling 01799 523700.

If you would like to come along to the bookstall the next one won’t be until 2014. Check back with us in the new year for the dates of the bookstall!

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Free Will Making 

There are many reasons for making a will. Perhaps the most important is for peace of mind to set your affairs in order. Also, it can be very distressing for those left behind when a will hasn’t been left.

By having a will, you can be confident your wishes will be carried out exactly how you determine. It is your opportunity to make provision for your family and friends. Moreover, once your loved ones are provided for, you may wish to leave a gift to your favourite charity and help others have a brighter future.

Many people fail to make wills and delay the process for as long as possible. For other people, the cost can be too high.

To help you with this, Support 4 Sight is launching its “Leave a Lasting Gift” service. Open to members, you can take advantage of this service and have a free will made by a professional will-writer or solicitor.

We have a list of local solicitors signed up to the scheme, who will offer free, independent, professional advice about wills and legacies. They can also advise you how to leave a gift to our charity, to help future generations of local children and adults with poor vision.

To find out more about the service, please come along to our Wills & Legacies Open Day on Tuesday 18th February, 10am until 2pm.

How to make a will Getting a free will Who can help you write a will Legacies & Gifts

If you can’t come along, but would like more information on getting a free will, contact Michael at our Resource Centre on 01799 523700.

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Support 4 Sight Events and Activities

Crossing Safely WorkshopsAre you worried about walking outdoors and crossing the roads? It can be very difficult to navigate busy crossings when you can’t see the kerbs and pavements properly. If this is a concern to you, then please consider attending one of our free workshops.

Thanks to the funding we have received from the Police and Crime Commissioner from the New Initiative Fund to support crucial work in helping keep Essex safe, we will be running some short workshops about road safety.

Lasting only about an hour, the workshop will cover topics including: road safety and sight loss, silent cars and hazards specific to visually impaired people. The workshops will be held on the following dates in three different locations:

Saffron Walden – Tuesday 28th January 12pm – 1pm, after the Coffee Morning at the Bowls Club, Abbey Lane, Saffron Walden.

Great Dunmow – Thursday 13th February 12pm – 1pm, after the Coffee Morning at Banks Court, Chequers Lane, Great Dunmow.

Harlow – Wednesday 5th March from 10:30am, during the Macular Society meeting at the Holiday Inn Express, Harlow.

Pop these dates in your diaries. We will send out more detailed information and invitations soon, but in the meantime, please contact the centre to book your place or for more information.

Exhibition and Focus DaysPlease make a note that our next annual exhibition will be on Tuesday 24th June 2014. We hope to see as many of you there as possible!

Is there something particular you would like to see at the Exhibition or as a Focus Day? Paul does try very hard to get a good mixture of specialists and suppliers, but if there is any organisation you would like to suggest or request, please get in touch.

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Social Trips We always try to arrange a wide variety of trips for the benefit of our members as we find socialising is a very important part of their lives.

In 2014 Vanessa will be adding cut-off dates to the sign up periods for trips. This is because a lot more of the locations we are visiting require advance notice of numbers or meal orders. So, we recommend you sign up early, to secure your place on the trips.

To find out more about the trips in 2014 or to sign up, please call 01799 523700 or drop into the centre

If you have any trip ideas, please let us know!

Christmas outing Monday 9th December 2013 Our Christmas lunch at Cambridge Regional College and afterwards, shopping at a garden centre is completely booked out! We apologise to anyone wishing to attend that missed out on a place, but the spaces filled up quicker than expected!

Saturday 18th January 2014 at 2.30pm - PantoIt’s pantomime time! This year Robin Hood will be coming to the Saffron Walden Town Hall along with his merry men.If you would like to go along and see the show, tickets are available from Vanessa for £5.00. Please let us know if you require transport.

Thursday 6th February at 12.30pm - Pub LunchLunch will be at the “Horse & Groom” Pub in Cornish Hall End.This pub has established an excellent reputation for providing quality fare at reasonable prices. A special carvery lunch will be available or you could have a 3 course lunch including soup and a dessert from the specials board. Attend the Carvery, and choose from a choice of freshly roasted meats, help yourself to roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings and fresh seasonal vegetables, followed by ice-cream and sauce. Transport for this trip will be £4.00.

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Monday 10th March 2014 at 12.30pm - Pub Lunch This time it’s a trip to the “Spotted Dog” Pub in Barnston. Just off the beaten track, this gem of a country pub offers the visitor a warm welcome and an experience that won’t be forgotten. For prices or to sign up, drop into the centre.

Coffee Mornings Support 4 Sight’s coffee mornings in Saffron Walden and Great Dunmow are very well attended and much appreciated by our members. If you haven’t yet been to one, do come along to join in for coffee and a chat.

Everyone is welcome and for more information, please call Vanessa on 01799 523700.

Saffron WaldenCoffee mornings will be held monthly on Tuesdays at the Bowls Club, Abbey Lane, 10:30am till noon.

Dates: 10th December - Christmas special.The Saffron Walden Coffee Mornings will start again in 2014 with the first one on 28th January 2014 followed by one every month on: 25th February, 25th March, 29th April, 27th May, 24th June, 29th July, 26th

August, 30th September, 28th October, 25th November.

Great DunmowCoffee mornings will be held monthly on Thursdays at Banks Court, Chequers Lane, 10:30am till noon.

Dates: 12th December - Christmas specialThe Great Dunmow Coffee Mornings will start again in 2014 with the first one on 9th January 2014 followed by one every month on: 13th February, 13th March, 10th April, 8th May, 12th June, 10h July, 14th August, 11th September, 9th October, 13th November.

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OutreachIf you are unable to get to Support 4 Sight’s Resource Centre in Saffron Walden, then help is on hand for you if you live in Harlow, Braintree, Dunmow or Stansted. Support 4 Sight will be holding Outreach information Points where you can speak to trained staff and volunteers, who can inform you about the many services that we provide as well as offering support and advice with sight loss.

The planned dates for our outreach information mornings are:

Harlow Library, Fridays 10:30am – 1:00pm: 13th Dec. The dates for 2014: 24th Jan, 14th Feb, 15th Mar & 25th Apr

Braintree Community Hospital, Thursdays 2:00pm – 4:00pm19th Dec. The dates for 2014 are soon to be confirmed, so check the centre in the New Year for available dates.

For information about Great Dunmow and Stansted Outreach dates, please contact Support 4 Sight’s resource centre. Support 4 Sight’s Building Appeal Our charity’s always looking to improve its services. Our trustees have set a new aim to relocate into new premises and we need to raise £500,000 so that we can buy our own building.

But why are we thinking of relocating? We currently lease our building and pay very high rents. Through consultations with our members, they have highlighted a number of limitations with our current rented premises. We need a bigger building, so that we can offer a wider range of services- including an Activity Centre to offer rehabilitation, mobility training, peer support groups and recreational activities.

Our lease on the current building expires in the next couple of years and freehold premises, without high monthly rent payments, would provide our charity with long term stability for years to come.

If you would like to make a donation to help us find a new home for Support 4 Sight please send a donation by cheque to us in the post.

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Support 4 Sight Past Outings and Events Cambridge Tuesday 5th November 2013The visit to the Grand Arcade, Cambridge for a Christmas shop was a resounding success. Coffee at John Lewis and the group split up for lunch either there or at Carluccio’s Restaurant (interspersed with a little retail therapy) was just what the doctor ordered!

Lighting Focus Day 12th NovemberOur Focus Day- all about the best lighting in the home and for reading documents- was a huge success. Did you know that having the correct lighting may not only help you see a little clearer, it can help reduce the likelihood of falls and lift your spirits too!

We ask that if you missed the Focus Day, please do get in touch if you are interested in lighting. If you arrange an appointment at our resource centre, we can put aside some time to go through the different lighting options available to you.

Also, if there is enough interest, we will look to organise another Lighting Focus Day in 2014. Please call 01799 523700 for any questions about lighting or to register your interest in another lighting focus day for 2014.

Legacies and Wills Open Day 19th NovemberWe recently held an Open Day on will writing and legacies.

If you need information on making a will for free, as part of our “Leave a lasting gift” campaign, there are information packs available. So, if you missed the day, but would like an information pack, please contact Michael at the centre.

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JokesJust in case you don’t get too hear too many cracker jokes over the Christmas holidays, please accept these with our compliments!

What did Father Christmas say to his wife when he looked out of the window?Looks like reindeer

What athlete is warmest in winter? A long jumper.

What lies in a pram and wobbles? A jelly baby.

What's E.T. short for? Because he's only got little legs.

What do you get after it has been taken? Your photograph

And there’s always time for a few more Tommy Cooper jokes!

Last night I dreamt I was eating a ten pound marshmallow. When I woke up, my pillow had gone.

I’m on a whisky diet. So far I’ve lost three days this week.

My doctor told me to drink a glass of wine after a hot bath, but I couldn’t even finish drinking the hot bath.

And finally:

Somebody complimented me on my driving the other day. They left a note on my windscreen that said ‘Parking Fine’. That was nice.

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National UpdateRNIB Talking Book ServiceAs of Monday 4th November 2013, RNIB will no longer provide a DAISY Talking Book Player on loan for new customers who join the Talking Book Service. After this date, the cost for anyone joining the service will be £50 for a “book-only” subscription and they will need to buy their own player.

Current subscribers who already have a player on loan from the RNIB will continue to receive repairs or replacements until their annual subscription comes up for renewal. So, for example, a customer who joined in October 2013 will receive player support from RNIB until October 2014.

For help to find an alternative DAISY player which may suit your needs, please contact the centre on 01799 523700. Calibre Talking Book ServiceCalibre Audio Library is a charity that provides an audio book postal and streaming service for people who cannot see well enough to read print because of visual impairment, dyslexia or a physical disability.

The 7,000 fiction and non-fiction digital titles are available on USB memory sticks, MP3CDS or via streaming. Previews of the books are available free even for non-members on their website in the online library.

For a one-off administration fee of £35 for adults or £20 for under 16’s, people can join Calibre and receive a regular supply of books for as long as they wish. Other packages are available which include a player, ask Calibre for details. If you sign up you can get a three months free trial period allowing you to borrow a single book at a time and at the end of the twelve weeks, choose the membership option that suits you best.

For more information call Calibre’s Membership Services Team on 01296 432 339 or visit www.calibre.org.uk

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Age UK – Tips to keep warmHere are some tips to keeping warm over the winter months:

1.Wear several thin layers, rather than one thick layer. This is because they trap warm air close to the body

2.Go for clothes made from wool, cotton or fleecy fabrics, if possible3.Draw your curtains as soon as it gets dark to stop the heat escaping

and the draughts coming in4.Keep any windows and internal doors closed when it’s cold – this

will keep heat inside, where you most need it5.A lot of heat is lost through the head and neck, so if you’re chilly

indoors, try wearing a hat and scarf6.Your body keeps warm by burning food you've eaten, so make sure

you have regular hot meals that contain carbohydrates, such as potatoes, pasta, bread and rice. Try porridge with hot milk for breakfast and soups and stews for lunch and dinner.

7.If you’re sitting down, a shawl or blanket will provide extra warmth. You should also try to keep your feet up, because air is cooler at ground level.

8.Wear warm clothes in bed. When it’s really cold, wear thermal underwear, bed socks and even a hat.

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Useful Information

Numbers You Might Find Useful Big print TV Guide - To receive a weekly copy of the TV guide and news in large print, contact 0303 123 9999.

BT 195 - If you are registered blind or partially sighted, you can register for free directory enquiries on 0800 5870195.

Uttlesford Community Travel - For door to door travel at reasonable rates, call 01371 875787.

RNIB Talking Book Service – 01799 523178You can choose the categories of books you would like to receive. The books will come as a CD and will be posted to you. When you have listened to it, put it into the prepaid wallet provided and pop it into the post. You can borrow up to six at a time and each time you send one back another one will be sent out to you.

If you would like to sign up for this service you should contact Saffron Walden Library, who will register you and Essex County Council should pay the cost.

Talking Newspapers Contact Numbers Andrew Taylor (Saffron Walden) 07774 652505 Richard Barnett (Bishop’s Stortford) – 01279 651270 John Wickens (Loughton) – 020 8508 1820 Ray Hardisty (Braintree) – 01206 545062 For Harlow talking newspaper contact Harlow Central library – 01279

446655 or Harlow Advice Centre – 01279 446622

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Spotlight on New Equipment

Braille and Large Print ScrabbleExclusive to RNIB, this popular word game is now available for English language braille readers all around the world at the same price and quality as the large print version. Each of the letter tiles has a braille label, as well as clear print labelling. The playing board has tactile dots on the premium letter squares and tactile dashes on the premium word squares.

The clever tile-lock design means that the letter tiles sit snugly on the board, even when rotating on to the next player using the built-in stand.

tile holders and the tiles are plastic with braille and bold letters on the tiles in 16 point font. Point font refers to the height of the print lettering

tiles are 2.4cm (0.93 inches) high, 2.4cm (0.93 inches) wide and 0.5cm (0.31 inches) in length

board measures 37cm square text is 1.35cm (0.6 inches) high and the numbers are 0.5cm

(0.18 inches) high board can be rotated to face each player in turn age range: 10+ for 2-4 players supplied with braille and large print instructions

It is priced at £35.94 from the RNIB.

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Low Vision Aids

In Support 4 Sight’s Resource Centre there is a wide range of low vision aids for everyday use to demonstrate, including:

PhonesBig Button Telephones – We have a selection of big button telephones, suitable for visually and hearing impaired. Corded and cordless phones with a range of features including speed dials, answerphones, caller ID, picture buttons and more are available!

Lighting Floor / Table Standing Lamp – with a flexible arm so whether using

the table or floor version they can be positioned to provide the light where it is needed most.

Freedom Battery Task Lamp – This rechargeable, portable daylight lamp is good for everyday tasks where you need just that little bit more light.

Twist Lamp – Daylight lamp which can be twisted to provide light from various angles, allowing you to aim the light wherever it is needed.

MagnifiersWe have a wide range of magnifiers in a variety of styles and strengths. We also have a selection of electronic video magnifiers both desktop and handheld which are available for demonstration.

GlassesAvailable in the centre is a range of glasses to try with different tinted lenses and styles. If you would like to try a pair to see if they could be helpful to you, please call to make an appointment with Paul.

This is just a selection of the low vision aids available at Support 4 sight’s Resource Centre. To arrange a demonstration please call on 01799 523700.

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Noticeboard2014To make that change into 2014 that little bit easier, drop into the centre or call now to order your large print calendars, desk diaries, pocket diaries and address books. Also on sale is the Communiclock which will not only tell you the time but can also report the date too! The Communiclock is radio controlled so automatically updates the date and time for you. For more information or to make a purchase, call the centre on 01799 523700.

Braille CookbooksWe have a set of 5 Braille Cookbooks, brand new, printed by the RNIB called Simple Everyday Cooking for the Busy Housewife. There is only one copy of the set available from us and can be purchased for £10. Please contact the Centre for more info.

Donated ItemsWe have also received a number of donated items including magnifiers, big button phones, radios and talking clocks, which we are offering to members for free or a small donation towards our vital services to people with sight loss. If you’re in need, let us know.

Light BulbsWe have a wide range of bulbs available at the centre for use in the home. Could you benefit from some new daylight bulbs? If you are unsure why not arrange to come into the centre and experience the difference these bulbs could make to you.

We have bulbs available to fit most ceiling light fittings and can also be used in any lamps with a bayonet or screw fitting. If we do not have the bulb you are looking for at the centre we can try to get hold of the type of bulb that would suit your needs.

For more information please contact the centre and ask for bulb and lighting information and we can send the information we have out to you.

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Contact usIf there’s a particular item you’d like us to feature in the next Sightline, or if you would like to submit an article yourself, please contact our volunteer editor, Michael Chappell, or Paul at the Centre.If you have any concerns and want to speak to someone at Support 4 Sight, you can contact us at the Centre from 9.30am to 2.30pm on 01799 523700.

You are welcome to drop into the Centre, without an appointment, for a chat and a coffee. It’s a good opportunity to meet the staff, our volunteers and other members.

Here is the list of staff at Support 4 Sight:

Madeleine Cassidy – Director.

Paul Atkins – Resource Centre and Volunteer Manager.

Sue Walker & Michael Lovell – Paul’s Support Workers.

Vanessa Cowell – Community Support Worker.

Margaret Dawson – Administrator.

Sarah Henson – Support Co-Ordinator

Hanna Starr – Social Enterprise Co-Ordinator

We are here to help and if you do need us, please do not hesitate to call or pop in.

With support from:

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Produced by Support 4 Sight (Essex)2 & 4 George Street

Saffron Walden, Essex CB10 1EQ

Telephone 01799 523700Registered Charity No. 1074812