Sight for Wight News (week commencing Monday 20th January 2020)

Tuesday 21st January

Laura will be at the Our Place Community Drop-In session at the West Wight Community Centre in Moa Place, Freshwater. Come along to say hello between 10.15am and 12 noon, and enjoy a free cup of tea or coffee.

The Swimming Group are swimming at the Waterside Pool in Ryde from 8.00pm till 8.45pm. The pool is closed to the public whilst the group swims. There are male and female volunteers to help you get in and out of the pool as well as Lifeguards to ensure your safety. To join the Swimming Group, please call Sight for Wight first to notify us of your swimming ability. You need to register with the office at Millbrooke House first to be able to swim with the group.

Wednesday 22nd January

The weekly coffee morning will be held at Millbrooke House from 10.00am till 11.30am.
There will also be our Low Vision drop in between 10.00 am and 11.30am. This is a weekly event to allow you to view and try the Low Vision equipment we have at Sight for Wight without the need for an appointment.

The Sight for Wight Members’ Forum takes place at Millbrooke House at 11.30am till 1.00pm. More information available in the ‘Any Other News’ Section

Thursday 23rd January

Laura will be at the coffee morning at The Old Smithy Coffee Shop in Godshill between 10.30am and 11.45am. Our coffee mornings are run by staff and volunteers from Sight for Wight and are open to all. Refreshments including delicious fresh cakes are available to purchase direct from the coffee shop.
The Thursday Social Group are meeting at Millbrooke House. The group meets from 10.30am till 2.00pm. This week at around 11am we will be joined by the Maritime Archaeology Trust who will give a presentation especially for the visually impaired. There will be a short talk to give an overview of the war at sea during the First Would War, with an audio presentation of some letters and then there will be some artefacts to be looked at and handled. Most Thursdays with the help of volunteers, the group enjoy a number of activities, crosswords, catching up on news and trivia, knitting and crochet. They are currently making pompoms for the rug. This very friendly, mixed group also love to chat and enjoy lunch together. Later in the afternoon volunteers come in and read to the group on different topics. If you would like to join the group then please contact the Charity on 522205.

Any Other News

Sight for Wight takes pleasure in inviting Members to the Sight for Wight Members’ Forum on Wednesday on 22nd January at Millbrooke House, from 11.30am till 1.00pm. RSVP & advance questions by Tuesday 21st January please. For further information please email enquiries@iwsb.org.uk or telephone 522205.

Touch Tours
Jo Bressloff is a freelance artist educator who is very passionate about making arts and heritage venues accessible for everyone. She organises Touch Tours which are friendly and informal opportunities for visually impaired people to have a ‘hands on’ experience, whenever possible, of some of the arts and heritage exhibitions and collections in both Southampton and Portsmouth.
There will be Touch Tours at Gods House Tower Arts and Heritage Venue on Thursday 6th February 2020 from 10.30am-12.30pm, and at Southampton City Art Gallery on Friday 28th February 2020 from 10.30am-12.30pm.
These events are both free but places do need to be booked. To book a place call Jo Bressloff on 07443224341
Our trustee Ruth Hollingshead will be attending the touch tour on the 6th February with her guide dog Flora, and is happy to arrange to meet at the Red Jet terminal in Cowes and walk to the venue, provided you can bring your own sighted guide or are independently mobile. To contact Ruth please leave your details with Laura on 522205. Please be aware that Sight for Wight is not organising this event, and therefore no sighted guide support will be provided.

Macular Society Meeting in Southampton

The Macular Society holds a meeting for working age people who are living with a macular condition in the local area and our nearest one is in Southampton. The group meets at the Standing Order pub in Southampton, and the next get together is on Saturday 15th February from 11am to 1pm. Our Trustee, Ruth, will be travelling over with her guide dog via the red jet and walking up to the venue, which is about a 10 minute walk. If anyone would like to join her then please leave your details with Laura on 522205 and she will then get in touch to arrange a time to meet at the red jet terminal in Cowes. Please be aware that Sight for Wight is not organising this event, and therefore no sighted guide support will be provided.

Pre-owned equipment for sale

We have been asked to advertise on behalf of a member a pre-loved BraillePen 12 Touch. This is a Bluetooth Braille keyboard with Braille display designed for use by individuals who are blind or have low vision. This keyboard connects to a phone, netbook, PC or tablet. It allows the user to navigate an external device with a joystick, write SMS, browse the Internet, complete 6-key entry into a Braille translator or simply type. The user can also switch between 6-dot and 8-dot Braille entries. The asking price is £100. If you are interested in purchasing this item or require more information, please call 01983 522205 and ask for Laura.

Freshwater Library Listening Reading Group- this group will be meeting on Tuesday 28th January, from 11am – 12noon. Please pass this information on to anyone who is interested. If you would like more information please call on 752377, or email on anna.britton@iow.gov.uk

RNIB Living with Sight Loss Course- Have you or a family member been diagnosed with sight loss? Share experiences with others in similar situations and find out about services available to you. These free informal, community –based courses provide information, advice, support and practical solutions for people with sight loss and those close to them, helping them to adjust to a sight loss condition, increase independence and boost confidence.
This course will be running on Thursday `13th February and Thursday 20th February, 10am -3pm at Falcon Cross Hall, Shanklin. PO37 7LA
To book your place please call the RNIB on 0300 123 3933 or email at lwslenquiries@rnib.org.uk
More information can be found at www.rnib.org.uk/livingwithsightloss

We will be visiting the Isle of Wight Pearl on Monday 10th February. On this visit we will join the Pearl Masterclass; a free informative talk about pearls. The talk lasts about 30 minutes and there will also be an opportunity to look around the centre, or have refreshments in the café. There is no charge for the talk, but minibus may be available depending on location for a donation of £2.00. Closing date for applications is Monday 20th January. For further information or to book your place please contact the charity on 522205 or email members@iwsb.org.uk Please note that all activities are subject to demand and availability of volunteers for driving and supporting as a sighted escort guides.

Pre-owned equipment for sale

This weeks In Touch:

Help On Your Doorstep?

Peter White looks at smaller blind charities. What role do they play? How are they funded? Do enough people actually know they exist?
We hear from Visionary, an umbrella organisation which represents more than a hundred of these charities.
The Chief Executives of Sight Concern Worcestershire and Sight Service Gateshead tell us about the challenges they face.
And we hear from the people who use the services on offer.
PRODUCER: Mike Young.

You can listen to this week’s In Touch by clicking HERE