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Chief Officer’s Message

Welcome to edition 37 of our newsletter. Since our last newsletter we have had our Annual General Meeting and Open Afternoon, when the Society’s activities from last year were reviewed. The Mayor and her sister came along and were very impressed with the facilities in the Centre. Copies of the Review are available for anyone wishing to receive a copy. Please just ring the office, and specify if you wish large print, braille or audio.

Can you believe Christmas is just around the corner? It doesn’t seem five minutes ago since we were enjoying the summer sunshine. Christmas is always a busy time for the Society, with our annual Christmas meal at the college, gift wrapping in the Millgate, not to mention our Christmas Celebration at Manchester Road Baptist Church! For ease, in addition to the usual section on Upcoming Events, at the end of the Newsletter, we’ve put together a complete listing so you have a separate record. I do hope you will be able to join us in some of the festivities!

Finally, the Centre will close at 2pm on Christmas Eve and re-open on Thursday 2nd January 2014. On behalf of all of us here at the Society, may I take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Christmas and a peaceful, healthy New Year.

Upcoming Social Events

Regular Events

All regular events are held at the Blind Society unless stated otherwise.

Evening Social - Tuesdays 7pm, 22nd October, 26th November.

Walshaw Social - Tuesdays 2pm, 12th November. Held at Walshaw Sports Club.

Thursday Afternoon Tea - 1.30pm-3.30pm

Friday Coffee Mornings - 10.00-1.00pm

Fridays 1-3pm Music Group "Belles and Beaus"

For musical fun – no experience necessary! Bring your own instrument, use one of ours, or use your personal instrument, your voice! £2 per session inc refreshments

Monthly Poetry Group - fourth Wednesday of the month10-11.30am

Pamper your feet: podiatrist - last Wednesday of the month. Appointments available between 3pm-5pm. Book via the office.

Table Top Sale - second Thursday of the month 10-4pm

Macular Degeneration Support Group - third Wednesday of the month, 1.30pm-3pm.

Special Events!

For all events book by calling in, phoning or emailing the Blind Society (unless it says otherwise). Tel: 0161-763-7014

Email: admin@

Fashion for the ‘mature lady’! – Thursday 31st October, 1.30pm

Come along to our Afternoon Tea and also be treated to a ‘Fashion Display’ of brand new clothes for your Autumn wardrobe!

Guide Dogs, Thursday 7th November 10.30am. Our friends from Guide Dogs are visiting the Centre. Anyone wanting to know more about Guide Dogs, or seeking advice – come along.

‘The Rise & Fall of Little Voice’: Friday 8th November 7.45pm

Summerseat Players present a charity performance in aid of Edenfield Parish Church and our Society. Little Voice lives alone with her mother Mari whose sole purpose is to find another man. Mari’s imposing presence drives the shy Little Voice into spending her time in her bedroom listening to her beloved father’s records. When small time impresario Ray Say hears her faultless impersonation of famous singers, he recognises the gold in her voice and determines to exploit it, but the whirlwind rush for success breaks Little Voice. Later however, she learns to sing in her own voice…..

Have a great evening and support the Society! Tickets are £10.00 (Concessions £8.00). Performance at Theatre Royal, Square Street, Ramsbottom. Curtain up at 7.45pm. Tickets on sale at the Society.

Extra Special Gift and Craft Show - Sun 17th November 10am-4pm Once again, we are holding our fabulous Gift and Craft Show at Ramsbottom Civic Hall. This was a really enjoyable event last year. This year, in addition to our own wonderful cakes, crafts and games, we have some new craft stalls joining us so do come along. It will be a great day out for all the family.

We need volunteers for baking, stalls, and donations of wine bottles (empty or full!) plus Fashion ‘junk’ jewellery for the Fair. If you can help, please let us know.

Macular Degeneration Support Group - Christmas meeting, Wednesday 20th November at 1.30pm, in the Main Lounge, including Christmas entertainment!

Viet Village meal, Wednesday 27th November 7.30pm. A new venue for the Society – the new Vietnamese restaurant on The Rock, Bury. £6.00 for members, £12.00 for guests. Book with the Centre.

Christmas Lunches: once again we’re inviting all members to join us for a Christmas lunch at Bury College in December. Separate letters to clients will in the post soon!

Christmas Celebration: Wednesday 11th December 7.30-9.00pm An evening celebrating friendships, family and the spirit of Christmas. Join us for Christmas songs, experiences and stories at Bury Baptist Church, Manchester Road, followed by tea and mince pies.

Christmas Gift Wrapping: Starts Wednesday 11th December through to 24th December, based at the Millgate (where Marks & Spencer used to be) and in Wolstenholme House.

Christmas Afternoon Tea: Our usual Thursday Afternoon Tea crowd will be celebrating Christmas in style with mince pies, mulled wine and Christmas entertainment from 1.30pm-3pm on Thursday 19th December. Why not join the party? Contact the Centre to book. (A small donation of £2.00 is requested.)

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BRAIN TEASERS – by Tracey

Test your brain and try to work out these riddles. The answers will be in the next Newsletter.

1. What cannot be used unless it is broken?

2. Where can you find a city without any buildings and with roads without any cars?

3. The more of these you take the more of them you leave behind. What are they?

Here are the answers for the last Newsletter -

1. Two mothers and two daughters went to a pet shop. They each bought a cat but only came home with three cats why?

Answer It was a daughter, mother and grandmother.

2. What can go up a chimney down but cannot go down a chimney up?

Answer An umbrella

3. I was walking over a bridge and I saw a boat passing by. It was full of people but there was not a single person in it. How can this be?

Answer They were all married!

Home Adaptions

By Judith

We continue our series on ways in which you can make your rooms safer and easier to use. If you have some of your own adaptations not mentioned here we would love to hear from you.

Halls and Stairs

Even levels of light both inside and outside the home will make it easier for your eyes to adapt from one space to another. For example, entering a dark house on a sunny day can cause temporary blindness, but a well-lit hallway will make it easier for your eyes to adjust to the change in light levels.

1. Outdoor paths and walkways should be well lit at night. If you do go out at night carry a torch.

2. Light all stairs well, particularly the top and bottom steps. For interior stairs, install a 3-way switch so you can turn the light on and off from either direction. Mark the bottom and top step with contrasting tape or paint.

3. Install a handrail, painted a different colour than the background wall, on both sides of the stairs.

4. To help locate the bottom step, place a strip of velcro at the end of the handrail.

5. Use colour to enhance your ability to see important objects or areas. For example, to help avoid a fall, paint your doorsills white if your flooring is dark or add brightly coloured flowers along the walkway to the front door.

6. An intercom system at the door allows visitors to identify themselves.

Next newsletter – the Bathroom

Fashion Show Fun Night by Lynn

Do you find it difficult shopping for clothes?  I do.   Being visually impaired, I have problems seeing sizes and prices and I’m always getting the colours wrong!  That’s why I loved going to the Fashion Show on Wednesday 25 September.  It was held at Dobbie’s Social Club in Radcliffe.  We sat in groups around tables, enjoying a drink and the whole evening was geared around helping those of us who don’t see properly.  The models didn’t walk down a catwalk but came to each table wearing the clothes being described and holding another set on a hanger so we could feel the materials and ask questions.

All the clothes were from High Street stores and were vastly reduced.  Some items were for sale at 85%of their original price. The lady describing the clothes then announced which sizes were available for each item.  This was the best bit for me.  If you were interested in buying an item you then raised your hand and someone would bring it to you.  There was a lot of competition in the room to get our orders in quickly in case they ran out of stock!  It was a good laugh.  You then bought the item, tried it on and then decided whether to keep it or return it. 

My friend Sue came for the first time and was delighted to win first prize in the raffle.  The prize was a £15 voucher to be spent on the night.  She used it to buy a red dress to wear on Christmas Day for the princely sum of £5! 

One of our volunteers, Julie McGuffie, had a stall where she was selling her hand made jewellery.  She had some lovely necklaces and bracelets.  I must admit, I treated myself to one.  Julie was kind enough to donate a percentage from each sale to the Society

Altogether, by the end of the evening, the Society had raised over £280 and we all went home happily carrying our new purchases.   

Hello, I’m Victoria McNulty

Hello, I would like to introduce myself as the new Early Intervention Officer, Victoria McNulty.

As part of my role I carry out the initial assessment visits for those newly registered as Partially Sighted (Sight Impaired), or Blind (Seriously Sight Impaired), and information visits for people with a visual impairment. My visits are carried out on behalf of both Bury Blind Society and Adult Care Services. Through this joint working I am able to provide equipment during my visits such as talking clocks, easy to see watches and liquid level indicators. If there are other needs I am able to refer on to other services such the rehabilitation workers for visual and hearing impairments as well as other related agencies.

A new service that both myself and Judith, the Centre Manager, are delivering to clients is Symbol Cane Training. These sessions are held on a four weekly basis at the Society and I am very excited to get started on this!

I am based at the Society but also spend some time over at Adult Care. However, I am generally out and about on my visits and so in and out a lot of the time.

Each newsletter I will be writing a short article on news within the area of visual impairments, information I have come across or new technology, so please feel free to contact me at the Society or provide any feedback on my articles. I look forward to hearing from you.

Try Before You Buy!

Clothes Sale for our More Mature and Discerning Clients!!

Thursday 31st October from 1.30 to 3pm

Now ladies and gents, we all like to look and feel good and age is no barrier to this. Shopping can be tiring among crowds of people especially when a person has sight and mobility issues so we are bringing a mobile shop with plenty of clothes to you! Prices are low with the maximum price of an item being £18 so come along on . There are skirts, trousers, dresses, jumpers. All are machine washable and comfortable to wear.

Test our Portable Magnifier

During November we have on loan from Cobolt a portable colour video magnifier for you to try to see whether it would be useful for you. It has a 3.5 inch screen so is easy to carry around, and it features 6 text/background colour modes, four levels of magnification, up to 10x adjustable brightness and a low battery indicator. It can be used by itself or connected to a TV, or to a computer with a USB lead bought separately. The magnifier uses a rechargeable battery which is included, as are a charger, carrycase, videocable (for TV), lens cleaning cloth and a carrying strap. It costs £89.95, far cheaper than previous models. So pop along to the Resource Centre during the month of November from 10am to 3pm to test it out. This could be the perfect Christmas present for Santa to give you!

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Beware of Bogus Callers

A visually impaired man in Tottington had a caller at the door who said he was from the Fire Service and was there to check the man's smoke alarms. However, unfortunately he was a bogus caller and once inside he robbed the man.

The police believe this man was targeted because he is visually impaired. The Fire Service WILL NOT call unannounced, they will always make an appointment and people are encouraged to have a friend or neighbour present at these appointments if they live alone.

If in doubt don’t let them in, they will not be offended.

The Blind Society Gets Crafty!

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Sunday 17th November will see us hosting our annual Extra Special Craft Show at the Ramsbottom Civic Hall. Open between 10am and 4pm there will be a variety of local craft stalls with an array of items for sale, as well as our own stalls including cakes, jewellery, handmade cards, quilts, knits, gifts and much more! Admission is only 50p with children and pensioners for free. Our fabulous volunteers will also be on hand in the café with food and live entertainment available all day. It’s an event not to be missed and we need your support!

There are many ways in which you can help:

• Lend a hand on one of the Society’s craft stalls

• Help out at the Tombola

• Be our mascot ‘Miss Charity’ for an hour

• Bake a cake or two for our cake stall

• Donate some fashion jewellery

And most importantly

• Come along on the day with your family and support your Society!

See you there!

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Just for fun

• What's worse than biting into an apple and finding a worm in it?

Finding half a worm!

Get Out and About with My Guide!

The My Guide service is a partnership scheme between Guide Dogs and Bury Blind Society which helps people with sight loss get out of their homes and into the community.

What will My Guide do for you?

Visually impaired people are matched with My Guide volunteers who have received training endorsed by VISION 2020. The partnership lasts between three and six months and in that time the volunteer will:

• guide you to social and leisure activities

• help you establish lasting relationships with community members who can, in turn, help you get out more

• work with you to set clear goals to help become more independent - not dependent

All volunteers will undergo a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check and references.

What will this mean for you?

With the help of our volunteers you can start getting out and about and start doing things that you enjoy. My Guide volunteers can guide you to the shops, a coffee house, social club or even the local bingo. Once there, they will help you meet people such as shop assistants or club members, who can provide support on an on going basis.

Please note that My Guide volunteers will not provide domestic services such as cleaning, cooking or grocery shopping on your behalf.

Why use the My Guide scheme?

• Gain the confidence to go out again

• Increase your independence

• Make new friends and get involved in your community

• Take part in the activities you enjoy

• Go out without relying on your family and friends

To benefit from a My Guide volunteer or for more information

Contact Jane Deakin on 0161-763-7014.

Central Vision Loss - New Skills for Seeing Training

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Losing your central vision needn’t mean losing control of your life.

Since May 2013 Bury Blind Society has been working in partnership with the Macular Society to offer our clients with central vision loss the opportunity to attend Eccentric Viewing Training. This training teaches new skills for seeing which can help with daily activities like reading, getting about, recognising faces and watching television. Our clients who have learnt these new skills say that they feel more confident and have more control over their lives.

With the Macular Society we are teaching two specific techniques to help people use their vision more effectively:

Eccentric Viewing and Steady Eye Strategy

The training is delivered on a one-to-one basis over 4 one hour sessions (depending on the progress of the individual) with ‘at home’ techniques to practice in between training sessions. This is free to residents in the Borough of Bury.

For more information or to register for the free one-to-one training please contact Bury Blind Society on 0161 763 7014.

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Christmas Card Writing and Gift Wrapping

Service Returns!

It is hard to believe that Christmas is just

around the corner and the shops will soon be filled with mince pies, Christmas puddings and tinsel galore!

Did you know that each year we offer a Card Writing and Gift Wrapping service for our clients at Wolstenholme House? For a donation we can take the hassle out of writing and addressing your festive cards, and if you have been busy buying those special gifts we can wrap them for you too!

So why not come along and enjoy a cup of tea and a mince pie and let our volunteers take the strain out of Christmas!

Our festive team of volunteers will be on hand from Monday 2nd December right up to Christmas Eve! Just pop in – we’re here to help!

We Need You!!

You may remember last year, the Council’s Sensory Department were reviewed by an outside agency to look at areas for development.  As we provide a service within this pathway, Richard Bounds, the Assessor, came and visited the Centre and met up with a group of our service users.  Richard wanted to seek the views of clients on how the process and service were performing, both ours and Adult Care Services.

As we are now eight months on, we are inviting a representative to come along to the Society and meet up with you again.  The reason for this is twofold.  We want give service users the opportunity to ask what was the results of the Review and also feedback their current views on the service. 

If you would like to be involved in this Customer Forum, please let us know.  The date has not yet been fixed but it will probably be end of November/beginning of December.

Please contact Jill Logan for further details.

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Gadget Group!

Recently we had a group assessing USB players for ease of use.  We’re now looking for willing ‘victims’ (!) to test out the chosen player using the One Click Digital audio books from the Library. 

The group will feedback here to the Society on the first Wednesday of the month 10.30am-11.30am, for a three month period.  Would you like to give us your opinion and get to listen to some of the latest books?  For more information contact Judith at the Society 0161-273-7014

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Just a thought

• A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory!

• What happens if you get scared half to death twice?

Services We Offer

• Eye Talk Support Sessions

• Home Assessment referral service

• Advice and Information

• Comprehensive Resource Centre

• Regular Social Activities

• Hospital Information Service

• Home Visiting Befriending project

• Visual Impaired Awareness Training

• Specialist Equipment Demonstrations

• Support Clinic

• Drop In Centre

For further information, please do not hesitate to contact the office. A warm welcome is extended to all service users and visitors to the Centre open to the public between 10 am and 3.30pm Monday to Friday.

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New training dates available to ALL our volunteers, new and old!

Volunteer Induction

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Come along and learn about the Society, the volunteer roles we have available, confidentiality, Safeguarding and volunteering & you!

At the end of this 1½ hour session all volunteers will be issued with their own copy of the Volunteers Handbook.

23rd October 2pm

8th November 10am

21st November 10am

Visual Impairment Awareness & Sighted Guiding Training

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Working in partnership with Guide Dogs ‘My Guide’ we are proud to be offering this new ACCREDITED training course.

A 3 hour programme exploring some of the more common vision disorders, followed by sighted guiding training.

On completion of this programme volunteers will receive a Certificate of Achievement as a Community Sighted Guide!

18th October 2pm

30th October 10am

13th November 2pm

29th November 2pm

Please note that ALL training is taking place at Bury Blind Society, Wolstenholme House, 4 Tenterden Street, Bury BL9 0EG

Fancy being Santa’s Little Helper?

This December will see us volunteering alongside Radcliffe Rotary again for their annual Santa Walk!

A fun filled evening helping Santa bring Christmas cheer to the generous folks of Radcliffe, collecting funds for local charities and good causes. We join them again for two nights this December, with monies collected being divided between the Rotary and Bury Blind Society. Possible dates are Friday 13th and Monday 16th December.

If you love all things Christmas come along for a couple of hours and join us for a memorable evening! Volunteers must be aged 17+ and be fit to walk at a steady pace. Contact Jane Deakin on 0161 763 7014.

Calling All Gift Wrappers!

It would not be Christmas without our fabulous Luxury Gift Wrapping Service at the Mill Gate Centre and this year will be no exception as we return for our 8th year in a row!

You could be part of our team of expert wrappers and fundraisers who will be offering our unique service from Wednesday 11th December through to Christmas Eve. Based in our usual spot opposite Coffee Creations in the Mill Gate, we will be wrapping gifts for a donation, as well as offering our festive Tombola.

If you love Christmas this event is a MUST

To gift wrap, help on the tombola or even be our mascot Miss Charity for an hour or two, just give Jane a call on 0161 763 7014!

Become a My Guide Volunteer - Change a Life

Many blind and partially sighted people rarely leave home alone. You can help change that. The My Guide service is a partnership between Guide Dogs and Bury Blind Society which helps people with sight loss get out of their homes and into the community.

My Guide aims to reduce the isolation that many blind people experience, helping to rebuild their confidence and regain their independence.

As a My Guide volunteer you will be partnered with a visually impaired person for three to six months.  You will receive training endorsed by VISION 2020, the umbrella body for organisations focussed on visual impairment, that will give you the skills to confidently guide blind and partially sighted people.

The role involves:

• guiding your partner to participate in social and leisure activities

• helping your partner establish lasting relationships with community members who can, in turn, help them get out more

• working with your partner to set clear goals that help them become more independent - not dependent

What does this mean in practice?

You will help your partner get out and about and do the things that others take for granted. This might be regular trips to the shops, a coffee house, social club, the cinema or even the local bingo. When you are there you will help them meet people such as shop assistants or club members, who can provide support on an on-going basis. You will not be asked to do any domestic activities, such as cleaning, cooking or grocery shopping.

Can anyone volunteer?

We welcome volunteers from all backgrounds, male or female, young or old, retired, studying or working. However, you must be over 18 and able to commit to a minimum of two hours per week. All volunteers are subject to Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check, and references. To get involved or for more information, contact Jane Deakin on 0161-763-7014.

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Bury Society for Blind and Partially Sighted People

OUT OF SIGHT

Issue 37- Oct 2013 Newsletter

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Wolstenholme House

4, Tenterden Street, Bury, BL9 0EG

Telephone: 0161 763 7014

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