Electric cars to be fitted with artificial sound

Blind and partially sighted people in Dorset have welcomed a European Parliament vote to make it compulsory for all quiet electric and hybrid vehicles to be fitted with an artificial noise.
“This will make our roads safer for blind and partially sighted people and other vulnerable road users,” says Dorset Blind Association chief executive Jonathan Holyhead.
The regulation has to be agreed by the EU Council before it can become law, but the vote marks a major breakthrough for safety campaigners concerned about the dangers presented by near-silent electric and hybrid vehicles. The vote follows a major lobbying campaign by Guide Dogs and other organisations representing blind and partially sighted people across Europe, which have called for it to be made law that drivers don’t have the option to turn off artificial noise systems in their vehicles. In 2010 the US passed a similar law on noise levels in quiet vehicles and Japan already has regulations in place.
“People with sight loss have always relied on hearing engine noise from cars and vans to identify a safe gap in the traffic to cross a road,” says Jonathan. “Electric and hybrid vehicles are much quieter so this change would make our roads safer and help protect not only the blind and partially sighted, but also pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users.”
Dorset Blind Association helps up to 1,000 blind or partially sighted people each month. It receives no regular government funding for this and relies heavily on donations, grants and legacies. To help it please call 01202 712869 or visit www.dorsetblind.org.uk or send a donation to 17 Bournemouth Road , Lower Parkstone, Poole , BH14 0EF.
:: For more information contact Jonathan Holyhead, chief executive officer of Dorset Blind Association on 01202 712860.

Unexpected grant boost for Dorset Blind Association

Dorset Blind Association has received a welcome New Year’s boost with a grant of £5,000 from the Santander Foundation’s Community Plus initiative.
The grant will help meet the running costs of the charity’s home visiting and support service in Poole over the next two years.
Dorset Blind Association was nominated for the award by Victoria Stark, who works at Santander’s Parkstone branch. Her daughter has recently been diagnosed as partially sighted.
“We are delighted to be supporting Dorset Blind Association and hope the donation makes a real difference to local people,” she says.
“Community Plus allows our staff and customers to nominate local charities that are most in need of assistance.”
Jonathan Holyhead, Chief Executive Officer of Dorset Blind Association, says the charity is delighted to be one of the first in Poole to receive a grant from the new scheme.
“We cannot thank Santander enough for its generosity and it is especially gratifying that this grant comes as a direct result of a local member of their staff wanting to help us to maintain the help and services which we offer for people with sight loss in Poole,” he says.
Dorset Blind Association’s Home Support service helps people to remain living independently at home. It provides advice, training and support to ensure people are accessing all appropriate services and benefits, and have suitable equipment and home adaptations.
“After assessment by our staff, volunteer visitors then provide regular, ongoing friendship and practical support with simple everyday living tasks. This grant will be invaluable to this work,” adds Jonathan.
The Santander Foundation donated some £4.5 million to UK charities last year to help disadvantaged people.
Since the Foundation was founded in 1990, £40 million has been contributed to the charities. Community Plus is a new initiative with a fund of £1.23 million which will provide grants of up to £5,000 to small, local charities.

:: Dorset Blind Association receives no state funding and relies heavily on donations from individuals, organisations and local businesses. To help it please call 01202 712869, visit www.dorsetblind.org.uk or send a donation to 17 Bournemouth Road, Lower Parkstone, Poole, BH14 0EF.
:: For more information contact Jonathan Holyhead, chief executive officer of Dorset Blind Association on 01202 712860.
:: Nominations for Santander Community Plus can be made by charities or Santander customers and staff by visiting any one of Santander’s 1,300 branches, or at www.santanderfoundation.org.uk

Partially sighted customers plug in to take out

Everyone at the Dorset Blind Association is always delighted to welcome any new member to our extended team but late last year one person had even more reason than normal to celebrate the arrival of a new team mate.

Tiffany Deacon has staffed our Help and Support Desk service at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital Eye Unit from when it was first set up in early 2009 and since that time has helped countless people, but what many of them may not have known or appreciated is that Tiffany herself is visually impaired.

So Tiffany’s special reason to celebrate the new team mate is because that team mate happens to be 4 legged and is her first Guide Dog.

Pictured above with Tiffany, Iris is a 3 year old golden Labrador bitch who is already a firm favourite with staff and volunteers alike. There is clearly a special bond between them and we all hope that they have many years of happy and successful team work ahead, especially if a significant part of it is in the service of the DBA!

We were delighted to learn recently that the new Captain’s at the Bridport & West Dorset golf Club had chosen Dorset Blind Association as one of their two Captain’s charities for 2013.

Along with Wessex Heartbeat, we will now benefit from all of the club’s fundraising activities during the year ahead.

The money raised will be specifically used to help fund our community support services in Bridport and the West Dorset area. What is especially nice about this is that the resident golf professional at the club, Martin Parsons, is the husband of our own Joy Parsons, (Home Visiting and Support service co-ordinator for West Dorset) so there is already a very important link between DBA and the golf club which we all hope will last far beyond just the next year!

The picture shows new Club Captain Martin Drennan at his recent ceremonial “drive-in”, with new ladies Captain Di Loving 2nd from left behind the banner.

Our grateful thanks go to Martin and Di for this kind support for our work and we wish them every success in their fundraising efforts.

We are very grateful to the employees of the John Lewis at Home store at Branksome for selecting us as one of the charities for the Community Matters scheme. This recently resulted in a donation of £858, an amazing result which certainly put a smile on Jonathan’s face!

Dorset Blind Association was one of the three local charities chosen by the employees at the store earlier this year. It was then up to the customers of the store to vote with their tokens to get a share of the money available. The fact that so many members of the public chose us as the charity they wanted to support hopefully means that people have come to recognise us as the charity that really makes a difference for local people with sight or hearing loss in Poole, Bournemouth and all around Dorset..

The money donated will be used to help maintain our services in the Poole area for the benefit of blind and partially sighted people and their families.

Every time seven-year-old Abigail Pike sits down to read to her sister Olivia, two, their mum Melanie gives thanks to Dorset Blind Association. For Abigail lives with a rare form of eye dysfunction that means she has no useful vision in her right eye and very limited sight in her left. She had difficulty seeing to read, but as a result of an appeal Dorset Blind Association – which helps people with sight loss of all ages across Dorset – has been able to give Abigail a CCTV reader to magnify type.

“Serious sight loss will always be a huge challenge for anyone, at any time in their life, but that challenge is especially tough for young children like Abigail,” says Jonathan Holyhead, Chief Executive Officer at Dorset Blind Association. “I am delighted we have been able to help her in such a positive way. The charity focuses on delivering practical services that are as accessible as possible to groups and individuals as well as their families as that fits our whole ethos of trying to enable people with sight loss maintain as much independence as possible."

Meanwhile, her new CCTV reader means Abigail can enjoy being a better big sister to little Olivia.

“It was so lovely to see her sit down with her book and the reader and just get on with it,” says Melanie. “It was one of those moments I had to go away and have a little cry.”

Dorset Blind Association can only help people like Abigail if it continues to receive public support so please contact them on 01202 712869, or send a donation to 17 Bournemouth Road, Lower Parkstone, Poole, BH14 0EF if you would like to help them maintain their essential services in any way.

Gardeners’ prayers were answered in spectacular fashion on Sunday as a Dorset deluge dampened the soil but not the spirits at a charity plant sale.

Volunteers bonded in adversity and met hardy plant sellers with a warm welcome at Lulworth Castle where the Dorset Blind Association pressed ahead with its plant sale in spite of the torrential downpour.

“It was truly appalling weather but we still had 78 people turn up which in the circumstances we were delighted with,” says John Andrews, chair of Trustees.

“The day developed into an impromptu bonding session. It never ceases to amaze me the lengths our volunteers will go to in order to raise awareness of the Association’s work and generate much needed funds.”

Wilfred Weld, whose family has lived at Lulworth Castle since 1641, is president of Dorset Blind Association which provides services to the more than 20,000 blind and visually impaired people that live in the county.

Chris Ford and Carol Jenkins (in centre at the back) pictured with other members of the Dorset Blind Association Group which meets at the Lighthouse in Poole.

Chris Ford, who lost his sight in a random brutal attack, is shown putting his life back together with the help of local services. The programme, which aired recently on BBC 1, features Dom Littlewood exploring Chris's long road back to reclaiming his life after his sudden loss of sight with initial help from Poole Adult Social Services who then referred him on to the Dorset Blind Association.

Chris’s attacker was sentenced to seven months and served only half of that, but Chris will live with the consequences of the attack for the rest of his life. Thanks to Chris's strength of will and the persistence of Carol Jenkins, DBA Home Support Coordinator, Chris developed the confidence to get around using a white cane and began meeting others living with sight loss at one of the many groups sponsored by Dorset Blind Association. Carol was also able to help Chris and his family get the help they needed from the DPW and other benefits to which they were entitled and that has helped them keep their home and family afloat.

As Chris’s confidence grew he was introduced to Poole Sailability and through them was able to take up his passion for sailing again. This demonstrates what can be achieved with the right sort of assistance – assistance that is tailored to the needs of each individual to help them make the most of their life.

The Dorset Blind Association (reg. no. 1140321) works across Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset to help people with sight loss lead full, independent, healthy and socially active lives. The charity focuses on delivering practical services directly into the community to make sure that these are as accessible as possible to the individual and their family. While the sight loss condition itself sadly cannot be cured, the charity works to stop that sight loss from causing or leading to other physical or mental health problems.
The programme will soon be available on the DBA website and you can find out more about the Dorset Blind Association on their website and by liking their page on Facebook. You will find the Dorset Blind Association working at locations all around Dorset but their offices are located at 17 Bournemouth Rd, Lower Parkstone, Poole Dorset BH14 0EF, Tel: 01202 712860, Web Site: www.dorsetblind.org.uk, email: info@dorsetblind.org.uk