Sunday 18th July - Hengistbury Hundred 5k Charity Run. Race starts 9am from Boscombe Pier Approach along promenade to Hengistbury Head.
Registration 8.30am. Entry fee only £5 adults and £2.50 children (must be accompanied by adult).
There is no minimum sponsorship but we are asking you to raise as much as you can to make a difference to the lives of visually impaired people in Dorset.
This event is supported by The Carrington Club and BodyinMotion sports therapists.
Please download an Entry form and Sponsorship form at the link on the bottom of our homepage.

For advice on how to get in shape for the run, please click here to read the article from Anne-Marie Samuel of BodyinMotion

For further information and tickets on all events please telephone Lorraine on 07989 671908 or email lorraine@dorsetblind.org.uk

Thank you to all our volunteers and supporters who helped us raise over £1000 despite the poor weather. The rhododendrons did not let us down, they were magnificent!

Thank you to our Poole Park Walkers from our Broadstone Dance Club who raised a fantastic £665 with a sponsored walk on the 19th May with the support of friends, club members and Ma’s Café.

Actor & writer Julian Fellowes and his wife Emma Kitchener-Fellowes presented Jonathan Holyhead and John Andrews with a cheque for £3874 raised at the charity quiz evening hosted by Mr & Mrs Fellowes for us at the Haven Hotel.

Do you use the internet? If the answer is yes you can help us raise funds in two simple ways.

1. SHOP ONLINE – if you use easyfundraising.org.uk to shop online with companies such as Amazon, Next , M&S, W H Smiths, Ebay – in fact over 2000 names, the online retailer will pay us up to 15% of the value of each order every time you shop with them, at no extra cost to you.

2. SEARCH ONLINE – easysearch.org.uk is a super search engine linked to Yahoo, MSN, Ask.com. The difference is you’ll raise £20 for DBA if you search up to 10 times a day. It’s free to register and costs nothing more to shop via easyfundraising and sometimes saves money.

GO TO OUR EASYFUNDRAISING PAGE in the right hand menu for more details.

We welcome Judy Bannon as our new Home Visiting Coordinator for the Bournemouth Area. Judy’s contact details can be found on the link from the Contacts and Links page.

A £7400 donation received from The Gannett Foundation has been used to purchase a replacement sight equipment vehicle for our community support services. The foundation is sponsored by the Daily Echo’s American parent company Gannett which supports its UK newspapers with annual grants to local worthy causes.

From Helen Basson Home Visiting Coordinator Purbecks and Central Dorchester area:-
“What a wonderful event the 'Community Awards' were in the village hall at Upton on Saturday the 11th of July, it may have been miserable weather outside, but it was full of warmth on the inside.
There were various categories and a total of 30 awards.
Two of the awards, proposed by us, were given to 'Good Neighbours', Sue Bushby and Kelly Carmicheal who both have a visually impaired member living next door; their care has made such a difference to them.
An award for 'Volunteer' was received by Francesca Moore, who has been visiting one of our members, Joyce, for a year now, and they have become firm friends. She has also been helping our funds by holding a raffle for us, which raised a much needed £50.
Thank you to you all, you are very special people and your kindness is appreciated by both the association and our members.”

The Dorset Blind Association is celebrating yet another success. It has been awarded a grant of £347,070 from the BIG Lottery to fund their countywide sight equipment vehicle service and a new home support service in Bournemouth.

Jonathan Holyhead, Chief Executive of the Dorset Blind Association, said
“We are absolutely delighted to have been successful with our application to the Big Lottery. The services which this award funds will make a real, positive and lasting difference to the lives of people in Dorset who have sight loss.
With our help they can continue to live independent, healthy and socially inclusive lives and do many of those simple, everyday things that people without sight loss take for granted. On their behalf we would like to say a very BIG thank you”.

The charity worked closely on their Lottery bid with Lyn Pullen, Funding Advisor at Poole CVS and are very grateful for all the help and support given.

Dorset Blind Association, backed by the Daily Echo, launches Eye Unit Appeal to raise £35000 for a Help and Information Facility at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital’s Eye Unit.

Bournemouth Daily Echo 30th October 2008 Extract

“Being registered as blind is devastating, even if you’ve been experiencing sight loss for a while, it’s an emotional time when you’re told nothing more can be done.

As it marks the 90th Anniversary, the Poole based charity is launching a campaign to raise £35000 for their Eye Unit Appeal.”

Jonathan Holyhead, chief executive explained “Most eyesight problems are very much an age-related issue and sight problems do not come in isolation.
So pretty much everything we try and do now the whole emphasis for going forward is with community delivery and services direct to the people who need our help.”

For further information or to donate towards the Eye Unit Appeal please contact the DBA at 17 Bournemouth Road Lower Parkstone Poole BH14 0EF or to donate online go to justgiving.com/dorsetblind.