New bulletin - Berkshire Vision



Insight

Autumn 2019

- Berkshire Vision

Supporting the Visually Impaired

.uk

Charity number 1146413

What’s inside

- What invention would make your life easier? Page 5

- Meet 85-year-old Ruby. Anything Olympic diver Tom Daley has done she’s done! Page 7

- Volunteers’ Tea party. Page 9

- Top tips. From toothpaste to bump-dots. Page 11

- Berkshire Vision, what’s gone on and what’s coming up. Page 13

- Letter from CEO, Louise. Page 27

And lots more

Berkshire Vision’s Aktiveyes Slough latest antics

Our eternally active Aktiveyes Slough group have been out and about. Trips have included, a theatre trip to watch blind comedian Chris McCausland, crazy golf, Odds Farm, an evening Windsor walk and a visit to Slough Fire Station.

A fun, interesting and informative evening was had with Blue Watch at Slough Fire Station. A tactile tour around the station included the sleeping accommodation, getting in and out of a fire engine and cutting open cars. Berkshire Vision Member Kevin impressively sprayed down adjacent buildings helpfully cleaning windows and parked cars!

More than 25 went on the visit aged 30 to 85. Don declared the helpfulness and enthusiasm of the firefighters a highlight of the event.

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Photo Berkshire Vision Member Kevin stood with Slough Station firefighter observing cutting equipment in front of a fire engine.

Did you know?

New emojis have been released including a man and woman with a white cane and also a guide dog. We can’t wait to use them.

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Photo Six female different skin toned women with canes and guide dog emojis.

Banking

We hope your bank make it simple for you to do your banking. Audio cash machines (plug in your headphones), large print, audio or braille statements, high visibility debit cards in contrasting colours and a larger CVV security number on the back should all be standard. We were pleased to hear about Barclays Bank, if you have their app on your phone and you go into the bank a staff member will be alerted to come and find you and offer you help.

TV Channel 730

Have you tuned into Freeview Channel 730 Connect Radio from the RNIB on your TV? There’s everything from 70s, folk or easy listening music to talking books and every week day 7am to 10am the UK’s major newspapers are reviewed.

Electric cars

Concerns were raised by Guide Dogs that vehicles without petrol or diesel engines were too quiet which put pedestrians, especially those with a visual impairment at risk because they don’t realise a vehicle is approaching. A new law has come into force, electric vehicles will now have to be fitted with a noise-emitting device.

Pride of Reading Awards

We’re super proud Berkshire Vision has been nominated for the Pride of Reading Charity of the Year Award. And Richard our Resources Officer has been nominated for Employee of the Year. The awards final is in November so until then fingers crossed!

What could make your life easier?

From an audio guitar tuner, giant scrabble board or pushchair tow bar for a new mum with a guide dog, what would make your life easier and more fulfilled?

You may have met Caryn from Remap at your Berkshire Vision monthly club recently. Remap Berkshire have experienced engineers and crafts people with a wide variety of skills and experience who would love to make an invention that could help you.

Remap were founded over 50 years ago and have helped more than 3,000 people with free custom-made gadgets, working with individuals and health professionals to provide safe tailored equipment, no matter how large or small.

Remap have helped a young visually impaired boy who needed to develop his ability to identify direction and distance of sounds in everyday life. His Remap inventor made an audible target he can now practice throwing a ball at. The target emits a continuous sound so he can determine the location and a different sound when he successfully hits it.

Tracey had broken countless wheelchair coffee cup holders and a chance meeting with a woman involved with Remap led to her invention of a brushed steel almost indestructible coffee cup holder with a rubber bumper. Not a sight loss example but like Tracey says “It might seem like such a small thing, it’s such a big deal for me.”

There are lots of inventors ready to help and they need more people to make inventions for.

Do get in touch if there is a bespoke piece of equipment that could help make life easier for you. Let them know your challenge and an engineer will visit to get more information. Once your invention is made they will make as many visits as needed to fine tune and ensure your very own invention is safe and fit for purpose.

Remap Berkshire, call 07790 127 123 or email berks.caseofficer@.uk

berkshire..uk

Meet Ruby

86-year-old Ruby has macular degeneration. Growing up diving was her sport, anything Tom Daley’s done Ruby’s done; 10 metre dives and somersaults!

Ruby was even selected to train with the Olympic team, but age 20 had a serious lung operation and her Olympic dreams were dashed.

In the 1960s Ruby moved to Langley and became a Guide Commissioner and secured funding to build her local guide hall. Berkshire Vision approached her to ask if they could hold a monthly club at the hall. Ruby kindly offered to run the meetings. She started off with just 12 Members and 25 years later has 62!

Seven years ago, Ruby started to have difficulty reading number plates and went for an eye test and was diagnosed with macular degeneration. She now has no sight in her right eye and no centre vision in her left eye.

Ruby lives life to the full, she still swims twice a week. The only time her sight loss affected her was when she had treatment on her left eye and was left totally blind for a few weeks. She recalls her daughter and son-in-law visiting. She had no words for them and sat silent in her living room, before going to her bedroom to be on her own. Shortly after she returned, saying “I’m sorry for not speaking, I’m trying to work out how to cope”. Her sadness only latest a few days before she made herself get out and about despite being totally blind at the time.

Ruby relishes chairing our Langley and Slough group where everyone is encouraged to live life to the full safely and independently.

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Photo Ruby holding a black and white photo of her diving.

Volunteers’ Tea Party

In June we celebrated Volunteers’ Week with a tea party. Our volunteers at Berkshire Vision selflessly give their time to support the charity in so many different and invaluable ways.

More than 40 volunteers joined us on the day and enjoyed an afternoon tea of sandwiches, cakes, scones, tea and coffee served on vintage crockery.

We really couldn’t do what we do without our volunteers many of whom have volunteered with us for decades.

Gail from our Langley and Slough Club said afterwards “It was a great opportunity to meet with other dedicated volunteers. We look forward to another wonderful year enabling our club members with the support of Berkshire Vision”. Volunteer Sally enjoyed the tea too “An excellent afternoon. A good opportunity to meet the staff at Berkshire Vision and some of the volunteers from different clubs.”

On average our volunteers provide 300 wonderful hours of support every month and we can’t thank them enough.

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Photo Berkshire Vision volunteers seated, bunting behind them, vintage cream tea on the table in front of them.

Tips

Would you like a mobile audio description of the world around you? The Seeing AI app can describe the value of a bank note, describe friends and family and their emotions, read handwritten text, even read a restaurant menu to you. It’s a downloadable phone app so a portable and convenient accessibility tool for when you’re out and about. Ask for help if you need it downloaded, it could make everyday life a little easier.

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Photo Phone screen Seeing AI turquoise angular white graphic eye app.

Top toothpaste tip. Don’t waste time trying to put toothpaste on the brush. Pop some on your tongue and brush. It also saves a lot of toothpaste as you put far less on your tongue than you would have on the brush!

Toiletry bottles and tactile markings to make identification easier. Beauty brand L’Occitane uses braille on most of its packaging, Founder Olivier Baussan was visiting a store in the 1990’s at the same time as a visually impaired man was shopping. Olivier saw the difficulty he had choosing products and from that day committed to braille on packaging. Make your own tactile toiletries by adding bump-dots to bottles: one for shampoo, two for conditioner and three for shower gel.

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Photo Shampoo and conditioner bottles tactile labelled with bump-dots.

What’s been going on and what’s coming up?

Children and families

Charlotte our Children’s and Families Officer has been busy. “During May half-term we put on our chef hats and made our own pizza’s at Bella Italia Reading.

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Photo Three young Berkshire Vision boys in Bella Italia with pizzas two with chef hats on.

Then we changed our chef hats for thinking caps at The Look Out in Bracknell.

In June we went to Metro Games in London and tested our athletic skills and everyone came back with lots of medals for their achievements”. But there was still more to come! “At the end of June, we went to Legoland where the waterpark was popular on a warm day, and had a lovely picnic altogether, so the families could catch up and chat.

In August Julie from Berkshire Sensory Consortium did some tactile, hands-on art sessions with us. And as August closed and back to school loomed we visited London Zoo, where we had a live audio described visit with lots of tactile elements all the way round.

Autumn promises some really exciting activities, including a Mindfulness session to beat post-summer blues, a hands-on day at Reading Museum, a day at Camp Mohawk, a Christmas party and a Pantomime of Cinderella with Justin Fletcher (Mr Tumble).”

Sports and activities

Exercise is good for everyone, for mental and physical health. Berkshire Vision’s sports have gone from strength to strength with newcomers joining sessions after trying them out at our sports taster day in April.

We’re excited we’ve now got a full four-month calendar of sports and social activities and hope you’ll join in some of our events. The last few months have been busy, a hugely successful fishing trip, our very own golf competition at Sand Martins Golf Club, Dragon Boat racing along the Thames and competing in a triathlon at Dorney Lake.

During the colder months we’ll be introducing indoor adapted Kurling, acoustic shooting, yoga and lots more. Come and join us – we’re a friendly bunch with a range of ages and experience at every session.

Jade will be sending out our Activity and Sport Calendar to you in large print by October, if you’d like to talk through what’s coming up, please call Jade or Richard on 0118 987 2803.

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Photo Berkshire Vision Member Kevin kissing the carp he caught.

Out and about

For those who want to explore the delights of Berkshire and beyond whilst socialising, we have lots of different social events. In the last few months we’ve been on theatre trips including; The King’s Speech, Amelie and The Importance of Being Ernest. Visited museums and barge, boat and steam train trips as well as gentle walks with lunch and chats.

Look out for our Activity and Sport Calendar for the next four months of activities being sent to you by October.

In addition to monthly clubs and general sport and activity programme we also have the following groups.

- 18-35+ monthly meet ups for anyone who enjoys socialising, from drinks at the pub to livelier brewery tours and for the thrill seekers we have go-karting. Something for everyone!

- West Berkshire Social Group monthly socials if you live/can get to West Berkshire to enjoy a wide range of social gatherings from eating out to museums to theatre trips and more!

- Aktiveyes our eternally active Members in the East Berkshire area meet up twice a month, with activities for everyone to enjoy from mini golf, comedy nights, darts and lots more.

If you’d like more information and to join please get in touch call 0118 987 2803 or email info@.uk

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Photo Berkshire Vision’s Jade and Lin stood behind Berkshire Vision Members Hannah and Pauline on the barge trip.

“You don’t look blind”

There have been accounts from people with sight loss popping up in the news recently and the perception of what someone with sight loss looks like. We’d encourage you to be part of the solution and help educate people about what sight loss looks like, explain your condition and what you can and can’t see, knowledge is power.

Richard our Resources Officer was at Alton Towers in the summer and one of the rides he went on involved walking into a dimly lit room which significantly reduced his sight. He struggled to navigate his way and heard a giggle from a member of staff, his sister exclaimed “he’s registered partially sighted!” and then his whole experience changed. The member of staff hadn’t realised, once he knew he couldn’t do more to help, he guided Richard through the room and on exiting the ride he took Richard and his family through an alternative exit, avoiding a dimly lit staircase. You won’t always be able to anticipate situations where you need a little extra help but please take control and let people know. This member of staff is now much better educated and if he is in the situation again he’ll realise that person struggling may just need a little extra help.

Tips from Maria:

Ask. If you need help reading a menu or finding a seat in a coffee shop, ask. Remind. Even family or friends may need reminding you need guiding in particular situations when it’s dark or crowded. Let others know. Tell people about your sight loss if you’re somewhere new; hairdressers, gym, solicitors and adjustments can be made if necessary. Be more visible. Consider a symbol cane, they’re lightweight and fold up so can be put away when not in use, you don’t need to use it all the time but, in some situations, it could be useful if you’re in a busy area. Laugh. You can’t control other people’s actions but you can control your reaction. We hope people want to help and equally some offers of help may be a little clumsy but well intentioned.

Finally, and importantly Holly who is registered severely sight impaired reminds us sight loss doesn’t define you. We all have dreams and aspirations and should live our lives to the full.

Fundraising News

Local supermarket support

Could you help us feature in your local supermarket? If you shop in Waitrose, Asda or Tesco please ask at the customer service desk about their charity schemes, the donations really add up and help us continue to provide the activities and sport we offer across Berkshire to people with sight loss and their families.

In June we were in Asda, Tilehurst. In July we featured in Waitrose in Maidenhead and August Waitrose Twyford. Thank you to staff and shoppers who supported us, we’ve received generous donations of over £800!

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Photo Bwalya Berkshire Vision’s Head of Volunteering receiving a cheque in the Maidenhead Waitrose store.

Ding Ding…!

We’ve launched our Children’s Minibus Appeal. The custom-built minibus will transport our young Members to workshops and events, helping with their development of essential life skills and in turn build confidence. We need to raise £61,000! Often young people with sight loss have additional needs too so our minibus needs to be adapted inside and out so it’s accessible for everyone.

Could you help fundraise or donate to our children’s minibus appeal? Visit our fundraising page crowdfunding/berkshirevisionminibus, ask us for a collection tin or organise your own fundraising event. Our minibus will help our young blind and partially sighted Members take part in activities other young people take for granted.

Hole in one!

Deanwood Park Golf Club, Newbury have chosen Berkshire Vision as their Charity of the Year we’re very much looking forward to their fundraising activities throughout the next year.

Is there a school, community group or business you would like us to visit to share the work of the charity? Please get in touch and let us know.

Berkshire Vision’s Dancing (and Singing!) Queen

Thank you to 71-year-old Maureen Nickless who raised over £600 dancing and singing the night away raising money for Berkshire Vision’s Thatcham club.

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Photo Maureen singing and dancing in her living room surrounded by friends and family.

Dates for the diary

8th December Fundraising Tea Party, Englefield House.

Christmas Carol Service, Englefield Church, date to be confirmed.

To find out more about both events when details are released, visit .uk or call Gerry on 0118 987 2803 or email gerry.harmon@.uk Gerry can also support you with your own fundraising ideas.

Ten ways your voice could help you

Do you have a voice assistant in your home? Amazon Echo Dot ‘ask Alexa’ or Google Home, could help make life a little easier. We know technology can be daunting and require a little help and time to set up, but once done we hope it’ll make life easier. Here are 10 ways Alexa has helped a sighted mum and a visually impaired dad and daughter:

1. Calendar. Sync family calendars and ask Alexa what birthdays are coming up, what appointments you have, when family or friends are visiting and lots more – everything you’d put on a wall calendar.

2. Shopping. With Alexa’s Shopping List synced with your supermarket account, anything you ask Alexa to add to the shopping list will end up automatically in your online shopping basket.

3. Compatible plugs. Lights, TV, you name it, can be voice activated, preventing the frustration of trying to find the right switches and remote controls and if paired can operate your heating too.

4. Radio. Simply ask Alexa to play your favourite radio station and she does!

5. Audio books. Listen to almost any book ever written. Website Audible audible.co.uk via Alexa, there is a complimentary 30-day trial to give it try.

6. TV Guide. Enable the TV Guide Skill on the Alexa app and she reads out channel guides and can set reminders for your favourite programmes.

7. Alarms and reminders. No need for a talking clock, ask Alexa the time or set an alarm, you can set multiple alarms and reminders too.

8. Weather. Ask Alexa what the weather is outside, so you know if you need to take a coat and umbrella out with you.

9. News. Thanks to Alexa’s wide range of News and Sport related Skills, you can access all the latest news, no need for sighted friends and family to read out the latest football news for you!

10. Recipes and timers. Set up a Recipe Skill on Alexa, she’ll read out; the ingredients (and can add the items to your shopping list), cooking instructions, reviews and of course set a timer.

We hope these ten examples have helped to encourage you to try a voice assistant if you don’t already have one, voice control can open up a whole new world and the technology is affordable, around £50.

CEO letter

2019 has been one of our busiest summers to date, delivering 77 events, activities, sports and clubs for Members of all ages over a 12-week period. It’s great to see so many of our Members enjoying the programme of activities, challenging themselves and enjoying each other’s company.

We would not have been able to do this without the on-going support of our volunteers. Did you know that between April and July 2019, our volunteers have donated in excess of 1,500 hours to Berkshire Vision. This is an amazing achievement and we are forever thankful for their support and generosity.

I visited Bracknell club in July, with one of our Trustees, Jenny Pape and her guide dog Kashmir. As always, we were made to feel welcome and enjoyed meeting our Bracknell Members and volunteers, hearing their life stories and talking about what they would like from Berkshire Vision. A great afternoon, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Amanda and I were invited to Mary Flavell’s radio show at Marlow FM. Not only did we get to play our favourite desert island discs, we were also given the opportunity to talk about Berkshire Vision, the great work it does to support our sight loss community and the challenges we and our Members face on a daily basis.

In October, Lin, Jennie and I shall be running the Royal Parks Half Marathon in London. We aim to raise awareness of Berkshire Vision and valuable funds to support our charitable activities. If you’re able to support us with our fundraising activities, or want to cheer us along, please get in touch.

I wish you all well and look forward to writing to you in our next edition of Insight in 2020!

Louise

Get in touch

Home visiting

Would like us to visit you at home? Let us tell you more about how we can help and the wide range of social and sporting activities on offer. Home visitors; Sally, Jennie, Lucy and Chris – who recently joined us can visit you at home and assess your needs with you.

This could include help with everyday tasks and help with your independence; from safely making a cup of tea to what there is to do in your local community, provide a friendly listening ear, or get you help with advice on benefits and allowances.

Please get in touch with your stories, experiences and tips and we can share with other Berkshire Vision Members. If you’d like to receive your Insight magazine in a different format please let us know, available in audio USB or CD, braille, email or large print.

Berkshire Vision, Midleton House, 5 Erleigh Road, Reading, Berkshire RG1 5LR

Telephone 0118 987 2803

Email info@.uk

.uk

Charity number 1146413

- Facebook: BerkshireVision

- Twitter: @berkshirevision

- LinkedIn: pany/berkshirevision

- Instagram: berkshirevision

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- Berkshire Vision

Supporting the Visually Impaired

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