On Saturday 11th September – from 10.30am to 3.30pm – the Isle of Wight’s oldest working charity, created to support more than 6,000 Islanders who are visually impaired, is opening its doors to anyone who wants to know more.
This year Sight for Wight are working with representatives from ten other national and local organisations – so it will be a one-stop-shop for advice, help, equipment and support for Islanders living with their eye conditions or anyone wanting to understand more about what support is available.
Hollyhead: Offering door-to-door transport and lunch
CEO Lisa Hollyhead explains,
“Sight for Wight supports members through their entire low vision journey, from diagnosis onwards. As someone born legally blind, but also someone who is losing their hearing rapidly, I understand what having both a lifelong sensory loss is like and what losing a second sense also brings.
“I understand first-hand how important it is to receive the right help at the right time, so this open day is doing just that. We, as a charity, cannot provide everything, but we can understand you as an individual and point you in the right direction when we cannot help directly.
“We want everyone to reach a level of independence that they feel comfortable with, and to that end we are offering door-to-door transport and even lunch for any Islander living with any level of visual impairment so please come along and see what we are getting up to at Millbrooke House.”
What’s on offer
Sight for Wight activities now include:
- Social events and a befriending service
- One-to-one support and a chance to try equipment
- Information about our Audio Library and weekly Talking News service
- Family support and/or working age group activities
- Referrals to 15 other support organisations, all there to offer individual help to you.
Who’ll be there
Sight for Wight has additionally invited partner organisations to join in and help ensure VI people can get the most out of the day. Members can meet the Island representatives for:
- Blind Veterans UK
- RNIB
- Macular Society
- RNID
- Optelec
- Touchpoint Vision
- Isle Access
- People Matter IW
- VisionAid
- Guide Dogs
There will also be a chance to meet volunteers from Dress for Less, the Sight for Wight dress agency, who offer a range of clothes for sale and all profits supporting the work of the Charity.
Book for transport and lunch
Please call Sight for Wight to book your place to attend, lunch and transport.
For more information on this or any other aspect of the Open Day please call 01983 522205 or email [email protected]
How we operate
Sight for Wight has no statutory funding and relies on fundraising, legacies and grant income to provide its essential services to Isle of Wight residents.
Our core aim is to meet the needs of people on the Isle of Wight living with and affected by sight loss.
News shared by Chris on behalf of Sight for Wight. Ed
Image: Oscar Keys under CC BY 2.0
