Dorset Blind Association

We are sorry to announce that, due to circumstances beyond our control, we will not be holding our Annual Ball this year.
The Ball was due to take place on 26th October, so any supporters who were kindly holding that date free for this no longer need to do that.
Thank you.

Jon and Mike absolutely SMASHED their fundraising target of £600 and managed to raise a whopping £931.25 after taking part in the recent Jurassic Coast challenge. With his legs now almost) recovered, Jon kindly acquiesced to our request for a few photos down at the beach with our CEO, Jonathan Holyhead.
Dorset lends itself beautifully to fundraising challenges up and down the coast and we're always humbled when people take it upon themselves to raise funds for us by throwing themselves headfirst into such challenges, so if you're keen on supporting a good cause in YOUR area when you're next thinking about running the Jurassic Coast or swimming from Durdle Door to Weymouth, do give us a shout, because we're only too keen to hear from you.
gareth@dorsetblind.org.uk

Our member and Chair of Trustees, Maria, hadn't driven for 30 YEARS so was understandably wary of getting behind the wheel again at our recent driving day (for people with sight loss, of course) at Henstridge Airfield with the sterling folk of Somerset Sight. Being from across the pond, Maria also had to deal with the steering wheel being over the 'wong' side of the car! Let's have a look at how she got on...

Portland Harbour's particularly nice this time of year for a cheeky bit of sailing with the Chesil Sailability crew, don't you think? 😃🚣‍♀️
https://www.facebook.com/chesilsailabilit y.org.uk/videos/2302456073130832/

A (literally) few photos of last week's tea party with volunteers from the Royal Voluntary Service, who deliver books in all formats, and some of their customers: hosted by the lovely Clare and Penny of Parkstone Library. Our Community Support Worker, Moira Kopanycia-Reynolds, demonstrated some adapted players and everyone had a go with the simulation specs to get an idea of what life is like living with visual impairment. Our thanks to everyone for a lovely afternoon (and some exceptional cake)!

Loneliness and isolation: two of the biggest and arguably most debilitating ramifications of sight loss. Today marks the start of Loneliness Awareness Week and, as the wonderful Elin so rightly says about sight loss and the subsequent difficulties and experiences, "starting the conversation is so important".
https://myblurredworld.com/2018/11/18/sig ht-loss-isolation/

We are delighted and humbled to announce that Dorset Blind Association have been chosen as one of the good causes to benefit from the proceeds of this year's TARRANT VALLEY 10 race, hosted by the sterling residents of Tarrant Monkton.
The race itself consists of a multi-terrain 10k course for adults (approximately half of which is in shade, thankfully) and an accompanying 1 mile trek for any children who are particularly keen to participate in the day's fun.
Here's some information about how to enter: https://tarrantvalley10.webs.com/to-enter

Morning, peeps! Some 'music meets sight loss' news for you as it's a nice little story. Andrea Begley, a former winner of THE VOICE who has glaucoma and only has about 10% of her sight remaining, is on a mission to "empower people with sight loss to thrive and help break down barriers in society".
https://www.irishnews.com/…/former-winn er-of-the-voice-on-…/

Here's our fabulous trustee Sam collecting our Green Token Scheme cheque from the always-magnificent Jacqui at Asda Weymouth. 100% of what we do is funded by the generosity of our supporters so being backed by local supermarket schemes is always a massive bonus #ThankYou

Everyone loves a good 'find', don't they! Well, here's a story for you... Our eagle-eyed Ferndown shop staff, Tracy and Jackie, recently spotted a lovely wristwatch in a donation bag and felt it was worth sending to auction. So did our good friends at Duke's Auctions, who estimated it would sell for £100-£200.
Well...
Hammer dropped at £520!

Raising funds for your favourite century-old Dorset-based sight loss charity whilst also getting the chance to fall through the sky wearing a blue onesie: WHAT COULD BE BETTER?!
If you think YOU might be tempted to do a sponsored skydive for Dorset Blind Association, email gareth@dorsetblind.org.uk

Do you have a couple of hours to spare this July to help us out with our bucket collections at Haskins Garden Centre, Ferndown?
We have the following slots to fill:
Tue 2nd 14:00-16:00... Mon 8th 12:00-14:00, 14:00-16:00 Tue 16th 14:00-16:00 Mon 22nd 12:00-14:00 Fri 26th 14:00-16:00
Don't be shy. Please email gareth@dorsetblind.org.uk if you can help, thank you 😃
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A big Dorset Blind Association THANKS to the marvellous Dorset for Singing for their generous £225 donation to us.
We're always humbled by the support we receive from community groups and - as you might imagine - are thrilled when we're chosen to be supported under Charity of The Year initiatives.
If your community group, place of business, school etc would be interested in supporting DBA as YOUR Charity of The Year, please email gareth@dorsetblind.org.uk and we will support YOU as you support US 😁💪

Well, this is indeed a lovely moment. In case you haven't seen this video of a young lady using SightPlus for the first time, do have a look. It's not only a heartwarming story for first thing on a drizzly Tuesday morning but also a great example of how tech plays such an integral part in supporting people suffering with sight loss ❤️
https://www.bbc.co.uk/…/goggles-give-ba ck-sight-to-maisy-so…

The magnificent Kenyah John is very bravely jumping out of a plane for us in a few weeks! She's nearly reached her fundraising target so if you good people are feeling generous - and I know you are - please take a minute away from your #MondayBlues to throw a pound or two her way:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ke nyah-john…

We are having an ENORMOUS clear out at the office and have DOZENS of A4 lever arch files and ring binders if anyone wants them. Seems like a shame to have to bin them all so if anyone can make use of them, please get in touch.

Morning, peeps! Have a look at this fabulous 'bit of kit' currently being used in Barcelona, which is essentially a MASSIVE step up for QR codes.
It's a program which uses brightly coloured pixelated stickers to help visually impaired people make their way around the city. Their smartphone camera can scan the codes and hear what information is stored within them, making the city easier to access and navigate! Have a read...
https://www.technologyreview.com/…/thes e-colorful-stickers…/

Some more lovely views aaaaaaaaand... Portland is in sight!