Tuesday 8th October

The Strollers will be meeting for a stroll in Sandown. They will meet for coffee at Spithead Coffee House at approximately 10.40am. After the stroll, lunch will be at The Fighting Cocks at 12.30pm. Please contact Laura on 522205 or email memberservices@iwsb.org.uk if you would like to join the Strollers Group.

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 9th October

The weekly coffee morning will be held at Millbrooke House this week from 10.00am till 11.30am.
There will also be our Low Vision drop in between 10.00 am and 12 noon. 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 book group will be meeting at Lord Louis Library on between 2.00pm and 3.00pm. We discuss the last month’s book over tea and coffee, and hand out the book for the next month. The books are available on CD or USB. Please contact Laura Jasper on 522205 for more information or email members@iwsb.org.uk

Thursday 10th October

Laura will be at the monthly 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. With the help of a volunteer the group enjoy a number of activities, crosswords, catching up on news and trivia, knitting and crochet. They are currently making pompoms to make into a rug, as well as decorations for the Sight for Wight Christmas Tree. 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

We have received two messages from the Isle of Wight Against Scams Partnership
The first is that a month-long awareness raising campaign against scams has been launched by the Isle of Wight Council, highlighting scams and doorstep crime, as well as encouraging businesses and organisations to join the partnership. More information is available here: www.iow.gov.uk/news/Scam-partnership-campaign-launched
The second is to advise that Trading Standards are warning residents to be aware of a new scam call that has hit the Island this week. Residents have reported receiving calls purporting to be from Amazon Prime and they appear to vary slightly.
One states that your Amazon Prime account is about to be shut down and press 1 for further details
The other states that the subscription of £39.99 will renew automatically unless your ring to let us know that you are not renewing
In most instances the residents who have received these calls don’t have an Amazon account so have realised it as a scam, for anyone with an Amazon account this could be quite worrying.
This is definitely a SCAM – do not respond, hang up immediately

2020 Diaries and Calendars – it’s time to order your VIP Diaries and Calendars. Please note that the suppliers of VIP diaries have now imposed a minimum number for orders that we place on your behalf, therefore we will place orders on the following dates: 21st October, 11th November, 25th November and then a final order on Wednesday 3rd December. Any orders after this date will be need to be made directly by members to the diary company. Prices are as follows:
Pocket Diary A6 with cover , week to a view £5.75
Pocket Diary A6 insert only, week to a view £5.30
Midi Diary A5, week to a view £7.65
Jumbo Diary A4, week to a view 2 days per page £21.00
Desk Diary A4, week to a view £9.45
Wall Hanging Calendar A3 £6.25
Wall Hanging Dates Reminder £5.75
To place your order please contact Laura Jasper members@iwsb.org.uk or phone 522205

The West Wight coffee and chat which takes place at the End of the Line café in Freshwater has now ended due to declining numbers. We apologise for any inconvenience.

An Audio Book Group meets at Ryde Library on the second Friday of each month, from 11.00am for about 1 hour. Their next meeting is on the 11th October. This book group is not run by Sight for Wight so, if you would like further information about joining the group, please contact Jo Dodd on 823825. This group is also looking for a facilitator for the group so if you know someone who could help please contact Jo.

Possible New Audio Book Group- “Alistair has run the Freshwater Library audio book group for many years and is now looking to start a new one at Sandown Library. If you would be interested in joining the group please contact Sandown Library on 402748 with your name and contact details and they will pass on your details to Alistair. Days and times to be arranged once we have an idea of interest.” Please note that this group is not run by Sight for Wight, we are just advertising on Alistair’s behalf.

Christmas Tree Decorations – If any member would like to make a Christmas Tree Decoration for our tree to be displayed at Brighstone Christmas tree festival in December preferably in blue and gold colours but not essential, they are more than welcome to either drop them off at Millbrooke House or send in by the end of November that would be fantastic

Sight for Wight has the following donated second hand items for sale. All items are in working order and are sold as seen.
RNIB Pen friend version 1 with instructions and labels £25.00
Cobalt Speechmaster Talking Microwave 2016 model in good used condition £80.00
Daylight Standing Floor Lamp on wheels, so able to move around. Good used condition £20.00
Enhanced Vision Smart Reader with control handset, good used condition £300.00
If you would like to view or purchase any of these items please contact Laura Jasper members@iwsb.org.uk or phone the charity on 522205

Raffle Tickets – are now available for our annual raffle which will be drawn on the 31st October. The tickets are £1.00 each and come in a book of 5 tickets. Please contact Sight for Wight on 522205 or email enquiries@iwsb.org.uk if you would like to purchase tickets.

Visit to the Isle of Wight Distillery – Monday 11th November. Meet first at 10.30am at the Old Barracks Tea Room in Puckpool Park, Ryde, followed by a talk and tasting at 12noon for approximately 45minutes to 1 hour at the IW Distillery, Pondwell Ryde. No charge for the talk or tasting. Minibus transport may be available depending on location and will cost £2.00. Closing date for applications is Friday 25th October. For further details or to book your place please contact Laura Jasper on 522205 or email members@iwsb.org.uk

Murder Mystery Night – Join us for an evening of murder and mystery at Millbrooke House on Thursday 31st October at 6:30pm. Ticket price is £10.00 which includes a simple two course supper, glass of wine, coffee and mints. We will also be drawing our annual summer raffle so there’s still a chance to buy a ticket and be in with a chance of winning some great prizes including a first prize of £100 cash!
Parking available via Castle Road (PO30 1DT).
For booking enquiries please contact Sight for Wight on 522205 or email: fundraising@iwsb.org.uk

Short Story Writing Competition 2019 – later in the programme you will be able to hear actor Melvyn Hayes promote this year’s exciting competition.
Sight for Wight Welcomes ‘Friday’s Child’ According to the traditional rhyme, ‘Friday’s child is loving and giving’ and Sight for Wight is delighted to welcome a new employee, who will assist the Member Services team working each Friday. Morgan will be the new ‘Girl Friday’ on reception at Millbrooke House in Newport, the base of the Island’s oldest established independent sight loss charity, that provides information, support and services to any Islander affected by sight loss.

In her own words, the new Member Services Assistant introduces herself: “My name is Morgan, I am 22 years old and also visually impaired myself. I have been visually impaired since I was born and have been living with this condition all my life with no idea what was wrong with my sight until I turned 17. When I turned 17 was when I got diagnosed with the condition called nystagmus. This was a life changing experience for me as I was put onto the visually impaired register and Sight for Wight helped me with this process. They provided me with the support I needed to cope with this new element of life. By being here now as the new Member Services Assistant at Sight for Wight, I hope to help guide those in similar situations as myself, getting them the support and guidance that they need. I also aim to help those around my age come to terms with sight loss as it can be a very difficult time in this generation with opening up about being visually impaired. It can be very frightening and isolating.”

Chief Executive Miriam Tong confirmed that Morgan will work alongside the Member Services Manager, Laura, and our other Member Services Assistant, Sue, all of whom work part-time, saying: “This appointment is important in extending the availability of our Member Services team at reception on Fridays. Our reception team are vitally important, as they are frequently the first point of contact with Sight for Wight, offering information and support in a helpful and friendly manner to any Islander who contacts us regarding sight loss. Once Morgan has settled into her role, we hope that she will also be able to establish and support a network of and for other younger Islanders affected by sight loss. This might involve co-ordinating meet-ups and social media networks to appeal to younger Islanders experiencing sight impairment. However, irrespective of age, we are always pleased to welcome telephone enquiries throughout the week on 522205, callers in person to our weekly Wednesday coffee mornings at Millbrooke House, or to one of our other coffee mornings, hosted on various days at venues across the Island. All details can be found on our website www.iwsb.org.uk or just give us a call. We are always pleased to welcome newcomers who often gain confidence and support from meeting and talking with others living with sight loss.”

This weeks In Touch:
MP Marsha de Cordova’s fight for disability support
Visually impaired MP Marsha de Cordova has been struggling to get funding for the extra support she says she needs to do her job. The Shadow Disability Minister’s fight with Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, the body responsible for supporting disabled MPs, is ongoing. Marsha explains what has gone wrong.
Talking newspapers, which provide print disabled people with an audio selection of articles from local publications, can now sign up to an application which makes them available on smart speakers. Inventor of My Talking Newspapers, Jonathan Horniblow, explains why he hopes this new service will bring the service to many more listeners.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Emma Tracey