Tuesday 25th February
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 26th February
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.
Thursday 27th February
The Thursday Social Group are meeting at Millbrooke House. The group meets from 10.30am till 2.00pm. 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 us on 522205
Friday 28th February
The Striders group will be meeting for a circular walk in the Haylands area, Ryde. Lunch is booked for 12.45pm at The Ryde Castle. If you would like to join the Striders group then please contact us on 522205 or email members@iwsb.org.uk
Any Other News
Freshwater Library Listening Reading Group- this group will be meeting on Tuesday 25th February, 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
Southern Vectis visit – on March 11th Richard Tyldsley, general manager at Southern Vectis, will be joining us at the Wednesday Coffee Morning at Millbrooke House to speak to us about the Southern Vectis service and to answer any questions members may have. This will be from 10.00am. For further details please contact us on 522205 or email members@iwsb.org.uk
Sight for Wight is holding a Low Vision Exhibition at Newclose Cricket Ground, Blackwater Road, Newport, on Saturday 21st March, 10.30am till 2.30pm. This is a free event, with a large car park, disabled access and facilities, and refreshments available to purchase from the bar. Join us to meet with exhibitors and support services including Laura Gooljar St Marys ECLO, Associated Optical, Dolphin Speech Software, Humanware, the Macular Society, Optelec, Professional Vision Services, Sight and Sound Technology, Touchpoint Vision and the Windemere Manor Hotels. Southern Vectis routes 2 and 3 stop just outside the venue. However, as the road is a busy main road, we are offering a shuttle minibus service to and from Newport bus station. This will run at set times throughout the day. Please ring 522205 for more information and to book a space.
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 a Touch Tour 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
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 522205 and ask for Laura.
Accessible Activities and Services Day will be held at West Wight Sports and Community Centre on Saturday March 14th, 10.30am – 3.30pm. All welcome, admission free of charge. For further details phone 01983 752168 or email info@westwight.org.uk
Chris Cane, Marketing, Communications & Fundraising Manager will be one of the guests at Vectis Radio on Tuesday 25th February at 1:30pm, with Maggie & Kelvin Currie. Tune in on 104.6 FM or online at Vectis Radio.
This weeks In Touch: Gene therapy on the NHS, The RNIB Reading Service, Blind architecture
Voretigene Neparvovec – is the first in a new generation of gene therapies which can be injected into the eyes of patients – and it’s available on the NHS.
It’s a major development for people with the inherited retinal disorder Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis (LCA), but as ever, we want to get to the real implications for blind people. Fresh from performing one of the newly-available procedures, Professor James Bainbridge tells us exactly who it can help.
And there are changes ahead for the RNIB Reading Service, as it shifts from the old Overdrive system. We talk to Jackie Brown who has been testing the new system, and the RNIB’s Alison Long who assures us the changes won’t affect those who rely on postal delivery rather than technology.
And we catch up on the course Architecture Beyond Sight for blind and visually impaired people. Zoe Partington of Disordinary Architecture tells us more, and artist Fae Kilburn tells us about her experience of studying the built environment and why it can be a difficult place for the partially sighted.
The course has inspired us to ask for your suggestions of developments or buildings which are rotten to navigate if you’re blind or VI. Send your suggestions to intouch@bbc.co.uk
You can listen to this week’s In Touch by clicking HERE
