The Magpie News s1

THE MAGPIE NEWS The Quarterly Newsletter from The Norfolk & Norwich Association for the Blind

Contact Details: NNAB Magpie Road Norwich NR3 1JH Telephone: 01603 629558 Email: [email protected] Website: www.nnab.org.uk

Issue 73 October 2012

Welcome to your 2012 winter issue of the Magpie News. Our Association has enjoyed a year of fantastic events, continued developments and new challenges. The last quarter of this year still has more exciting times to come and we are looking forward to 2013 with enthusiasm and passion.

If you would prefer to receive your Magpie News in a different format please let us know. We can supply it in the following: Large Print, CD, email, Braille or memory stick

1 Contents

Christmas Message 1 Walking Holiday by Judy 13 Theatre Group at the Manning Norwich Theatre Royal 2 News from the Equipment and 14 Gardeneyes Information Centres 3 A date for your 2013 diary 15 Volunteer Braille Tutor Vacancy 4 Boots Christmas Gifts 16 Changes to First Bus Routes 5 Have you heard of Georgie? 17 Tips 6 The Roving Eye Service 18 Event Fundraising 7 YoungEyes@NNAB 19 Fundraising News 8 In Touch News 20 Craft Items for the Shows 9 Podcasts 21 Sports Programme 10 Grapevine Talking Newspaper 22 Transport Charges 11 Leisure Activities for Autumn 23 Christmas Annual Draw 2012 Invitation 12 Book Clubs 24 Happy Christmas

Every effort is made to ensure that the content of this newsletter is correct, however we cannot be held responsible for errors and omissions. Goods and services featured do not carry any recommendation from The Norfolk and Norwich Association for the Blind. If you should inadvertently receive more than one printed copy of this newsletter please pass it on to friends, doctors surgeries etc.

The Norfolk and Norwich Association for the Blind, Magpie Road, Norwich NR3 1JH Tel: 01603 629558 Fax: 01603 766682 Email: [email protected] Website: www.nnab.org.uk Also at: King’s Lynn Tel: 01553 660808 and Great Yarmouth Tel: 01493 745973 Charity Number 207060

2 Christmas Message From The Bishop of Norwich

The Paralympics made a much greater impact on the public imagination in this country than anyone anticipated. Seeing amputees, the blind, or those with cerebral palsy running, swimming or playing ball games of different sorts with the sort of skill I know I haven’t got, challenges our thinking about ability and disability. At its best, the Paralympics reminds us of a common humanity and that our value as human beings isn’t based on the completeness of our physical attributes or our beauty, intelligence or fitness. There’s something deeper than those things about the human spirit.

The Christmas story is entirely focussed on the value of human life, seen in the child born in desperate circumstances in Bethlehem, living dangerously as a refugee in Egypt before returning to obscurity in Nazareth. The child grew into a man with special compassion for those with disabilities who were then cast aside by society and left as beggars by the roadside. He attended to them when no one else bothered, a sign of God’s love for all. But the biggest celebration at Christmas comes because this child born in a stable was so identified with God that we call him God’s son. No other language will do. As God reaches down to our humanity in love so he elevates us to divine status. Human spirit and divine spirit are linked.

I felt our human spirits were lifted during the Paralympics. I feel the same in the work of NNAB. There is something astonishingly elevating about the spirit of this Association which brings dignity, joy and love to many people.

A very happy Christmas to you all. +Graham Norvic: President of Norfolk & Norwich Association for the Blind

3 1. Walking Holiday by Judy Manning In September five visually impaired and five sighted folk (one NNAB staff member and four volunteers) set off to Hartington in Derbyshire. We stayed at the Youth Hostel, an old country house set in lovely grounds. We had breakfasts and two evening meals in their restaurant, and made our own packed lunches. The other evening meals were cooked by volunteer Jude with a team of willing assistants.

Our first walk was about three miles on the Monday afternoon to stretch our legs after the journey. Led by a volunteer from a local walking group, we went along the Tissington and high peak trails and back across the fields. The Tuesday and Thursday walks were led by Kath, from the Peak Walking Adventures company. We had a short tour of Hartington village, then six miles along Beresford and Wolfscote Dales. It was lovely to walk listening to the birds and the sound of the River Dove (but the stones and tree roots in the path were tricky so we needed to concentrate!), and Kath told us a lot about the local history and geology. On Thursday, we met her in Buxton where we looked at some of the old buildings and sampled the famous spa water before setting off uphill through woods to a stone folly called Solomon's Temple. It was very windy but sunny and there were excellent views which, although I can no longer see them, I like to have described and I derive much pleasure from hearing my companions enjoying the scenery. The next section was the most strenuous of the week ascending a steep grassy hill towards the moors, but after a pleasant descent into Buxton we said goodbye to Kath. On the Wednesday walk led by volunteer David, we went to Carsington Water, a large reservoir surrounded by walking and cycling paths. A ranger gave us a talk, then we set off on a seven or eight mile walk around the water. The paths were good with only small hills and there was plenty of opportunity for the energetic to really stretch their legs! Walking on the top of the

4 dam above the trees was a new and exhilarating experience. On Friday David led us for the last walk, four miles along the Cromford canal on a pleasant easy path with the canal on one side and the sound of the river Derwent on the other.

I will remember the fun and laughter of this holiday as much as the lovely walks. Thank you to everyone involved, especially to our sighted guides. Thanks must also go to the staff of Jarrold's store who raised money towards the cost.

2. News from the Equipment and Information Centres Product News It’s the time of year again to start thinking about those 2013 calendars! In stock we have our own very popular NNAB easy to see calendars at £5 each for the A3 size and £4 each for the A4 size. New Items for Christmas A portable folding LED task multilight lamp price £37.75. Scribolux, an illuminated magnifier ideal for crosswords 2.8 magnification price £45.80. A Talking Label voice recorder for medication boxes price £5.99. Small Christmas Gifts A quality micro fibre lens cloth complete with the NNAB logo and in a vinyl pouch, at £1 each they are ideal for cleaning spectacles, camera lenses, computer screens, CD/DVDs and binoculars with 50p from each sale going towards NNAB funds.

Why not pop one inside one of our handmade Christmas Cards for a thoughtful easy to post gift. A lens cleaning kit with fluid and cloth in a handy pouch £3.50. A large print pocket style or desk diary, address book or telephone numbers book. A beautiful bead necklace, handmade by one of our volunteers, available in a variety of colours and styles £6.

5 Equipment Exhibition at Great Yarmouth On November 15th 10am - 3pm in the Great Yarmouth Equipment Centre Cobolt Systems Ltd and Enhanced Vision will be showing equipment, including items to support Daily Living and also the new DaVinci all-in-one HD Video Magnifier with Text-to-Speech facility.

Christmas Holiday Closures for the Equipment Centres Norwich - December 24th to 26th, December 31st to January1st. Diss - December 21st and 28th and January 4th. Great Yarmouth - December 24th to 28th, December 31st to January 4th. Cromer - December 25th and January 1st. King’s Lynn - December 24th to 26th, December 31st to January 1st. Watton - December 24th.

3. A date for your 2013 diary On April 12th in the Bradbury Activity Centre we are bringing together up to 20 of our major equipment suppliers and providers of services for a ‘Mammoth Exhibition’. Bringing all these together will give us all a chance to compare products and talk to the experts. We hope you will join us for a day full of interest. More details in the next Magpie News.

4. Boots Christmas Gifts The Norwich Equipment Centre has a Braille copy of the Boots Christmas Gift Guide 2012 for loan. For more information please contact Chris Maule Oatway on 01603 629558.

5. Have you heard of Georgie? This is a smartphone software application designed for visually impaired people which includes apps to help navigate day-to-day obstacles such as catching a bus, reading printed text or working out your exact whereabouts in unfamiliar areas. Georgie is 6 available with a range of phones to suit individual needs. For more information please visit their website: www.sightandsound.co.uk

6. The Roving Eye Service This service can visit your club or organisation during the winter months to tell you about the services NNAB offers and to give an overview of the equipment available. For more details please contact Richard Polley on 01603 629558 or email [email protected]

7. YoungEyes@NNAB The Rainbow Tots group for vision impaired little ones under five years and their families, meet in the Bradbury Activity Centre on the fourth Thursday of each month 10.30am -12pm. There is an opportunity to play, explore, make friends, use the sensory room and enjoy refreshments, always with time for Mums and carers to sip coffee, enjoy a cake and chat! It’s a fun time for all with lots of laughter. Saturday Dance Mornings for those over eight years old have proved very popular. The two themes so far have been ‘Dance and a Donut’ and ‘Jungle Jive’, each with the appropriate refreshments! More planned for next year.

Christmas Party December 10th 2pm - 5pm We are getting very excited planning this year’s Children’s Christmas Party for our YoungEyes friends and their families to be held in the Bradbury Activity Centre. We are looking forward very much to being together for games, dancing, enjoying our Christmas Tea and of course welcoming Father Christmas! Who knows how he will arrive this year!

The Rainbow Room and Sensory Voyager Our lovely sensory room is available for any family to use, whilst stimulating vision it is also a chance to relax whilst watching the 7 colours and listening to the music. If you would like more details about YoungEyes activities or the Rainbow Room please contact Dorothy Bowen 01603 629558 or email [email protected]

8. In Touch News This is a radio programme presented by Peter White every Tuesday evening from 8.40pm on BBC Radio 4. It contains News, views and information for people who are blind or visually impaired. You can also listen to it live through this link to the BBC website or to catch up with previous episodes: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qxww

9. Podcasts During the next few months the Association will be trialling a new means of getting news and information out to our many friends and families across the county and supporters in far-off places. We will have a new page on the NNAB website that will download and play short pre-recorded radio pieces - many of you will know these by the more common name of Podcasts. They are small audio files which you click on (just like a library of files) and which will then play on your computer. We will cover a wide range of subjects and, perhaps, even record the whole of the quarterly Magpie News so that our members can access the current and back copies with ease. We will invite experts on various subjects to talk and include audio guides and advice on such diverse subjects as Attendance Allowance Applications and Travel Cards. You won't need to be technically minded or gifted - if you have a computer and can turn it on and find your way to the NNAB web page you will be more than competent to use our Podcast service. So, do join in and let us know what you think.

8 10. Grapevine Talking Newspaper If you live in the Great Yarmouth area you can listen to the Grapevine Talking Newspaper which is a lively recording of edited highlights from the Great Yarmouth Mercury. There is also a weekly notice board giving details of forthcoming events which listeners can contribute to. This service is free of charge and after listening to the newspaper you can return it by freepost. A player is provided and a volunteer will come to demonstrate it after you enrol. You can also visit the website to listen to this service www.grapevinegy.org For more information please contact Liz, Janet or Wendy at the NNAB Equipment Centre in Great Yarmouth on 01493 850260.

11. Leisure Activities for Autumn 2012 The NNAB offers a wide range of leisure activities across Norfolk, and we are always keen to attract new members to our 23 leisure groups. The groups are tailored to the needs of visually impaired participants and are designed to try and reflect all interests and pursuits. Mark and Simon are keen to hear from you, 01603 629558 or email [email protected]. Our Leisure and Education link on the NNAB website www.nnab.org.uk also contains further details.

Our Heritage group has been busy with recent visits to Sandringham House, Jarrolds print museum and the RAF Radar defence museum at Neatishead. July saw Gardeneyes visiting the Fakenham garden centre followed by a conducted walk around the gardens at Hindringham Hall, with a superb walled vegetable and fruit garden. All these visits have been specially arranged for visually impaired visitors, with described talks and handling where possible.

12. Book Clubs The Hunstanton Audio Book Club is now up and running, meeting at the library at 10.30 on the third Wednesday of every month. If 9 you enjoy discussing and hearing audio books why not come along and join in our lively discussions. We also run seven other audio book clubs at the libraries in Cromer, Gaywood, Diss, Dereham, Watton, Norwich and Great Yarmouth, and we look forward to welcoming you along to one of these free book clubs.

13. NNAB Theatre Group at the Norwich Theatre Royal ‘One Man, Two Guv’nors’ is a unique, laugh-out-loud mix of satire, songs, slapstick and glittering one-liners. Saturday December 8th at 2.30pm cost £17. This year’s Norwich Theatre Royal pantomime will be ‘Aladdin’ on Saturday January 19th 2013, price to be confirmed. Both productions have a touch tour, audio description and a minibus from the NNAB.

14. Gardeneyes On Wednesday December 5th the NNAB Gardeneyes group will be visiting the Taverham Garden Centre for some early Christmas shopping, with a coffee and mince pie. A minibus will be available from the NNAB, and opportunity to catch up with gardening friends and talk about the challenging growing conditions this year. For more details or to book a place contact Jenny Beer on 01508 495457 or email [email protected]

15. Volunteer Braille Tutor Vacancy The Braille classes are held on Thursdays during school term time in the Bradbury Activity Centre. The morning class runs from 10.30 to 12.30, including a half-hour tea break. The afternoon class runs from 1.30 to 3.00. If you would like to teach Braille and Moon to a small group of students, create lesson plans and enjoy a challenge please contact Chris Maule-Oatway on 01603 629558.

10 16. Changes to First Bus Routes On 23rd September, First Bus introduced a lot of changes to their routes in Norwich, altering the route numbers, destinations and introducing colour coding to their services. Anglia Square is well served, which will help visitors to us at Magpie Road or the Bradbury Activity Centre. The First buses which stop at Anglia Square are: 11, 13, 21, 22, 36, 37, 38 and 39.

Anglia Square is also served by Sanders Coaches 24, 44, 45, 55 and 210. Other companies using Anglia Square are Anglian Bus 718 and 999, Neaves Coaches 36, Norfolk Green X29 and CH4, and Tons Coaches ES25. The Norse Park and Ride 605.

The main bus to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital is the 11. This also stops at Anglia Square, Castle Meadow and St. Stephen’s Street.

Two useful websites to find bus details are www.traveline.org.uk and the Norfolk County Council website www.norfolk.gov.uk. For more information about bus services, please contact Chris Maule-Oatway on 01603 529558.

17. Tips When cooking keep a tea towel over your shoulder – this way you won’t need to wander around the kitchen when you need to dry/wipe your hands. It is easier to find light coloured food like potatoes on a dark chopping board, and darker food such as green beans, on a light board.

If you have any useful tips that we could pass on to others via the Magpie News please let us know or complete the form on the back page.

11 18. Event Fundraising The Ocean Rooms in Gorleston hosted The Pier Hotel Quiz Night which raised more than £4,000 for the NNAB at a mammoth brain-teasing evening. Forty two teams representing 30 local companies attended this event. The Gorleston branch of Barclays Bank match funded the amount made on the night and the total raised was £4,020. Thank you to the Pier Hotel for organising this successful fundraising event and we very much appreciate the contribution made by Barclays Bank as well as the goodwill and generosity shown by so many local people and local businesses.

Our charity was invited to a special Sponsors Golf Day event at Bawburgh where all proceeds from the cash raffle were donated to the NNAB. Twenty two teams from the local business community donated £10 per person to have the chance of winning a top prize of £100. The winner on the day was Andrew Harding from Collier Turf Care who announced that we should keep the money! This was a wonderful gesture from Andrew and one which we very much appreciate. The raffle made an impressive £680. Norwich Inns Golf Day Norwich Inns comprises over 60 licensed premises and they have selected the NNAB as their chosen charity of the year. Their annual golf day was held at Weston Park. This event was very successful with twenty five teams taking part and all proceeds were donated to the NNAB. We appreciate the support from all Norwich Inns members who are doing such a brilliant job in raising money for our charity. Thank you.

19. Fundraising News Thank you to all of our lovely volunteers who helped us to achieve a massive £12,500 from collecting in shops and streets between March and September. Thank you also to those registered members who have put our new ‘Elephant’ collecting

12 tins in their local shops or placed the blue cardboard home boxes with friends and family. Christmas Cards We have a great new selection of Christmas Cards to purchase which are available in all Equipment Centres, from your Community Workers, the Assembly House or Forum in Norwich. Christmas Annual Draw This year we have some amazing prizes, each prize is worth over £25 and the 1st prize is an incredible £150. Tickets are 50p each or a book of four for £2. We welcome any unwanted gifts or items for the raffle.

Please note that we never send our registered members raffle tickets in the post asking you to buy them, unless you have requested some. For ordering Christmas cards and raffle tickets or if you would like to donate a gift for the raffle prizes please contact your Community Worker or Donna Minto 01603 629558 or tick the box on the back page. All Cheques for tickets or cards must be made out to ‘NNAB’, please write your name and address on the back.

Volunteering makes a difference Finding volunteers for flag days and street collections in 2013 is going to be vital for us to keep the money coming in. If you or any of your family or friends would like to help our charity and could give us an hour or two of your time, please contact Donna Minto on 01603 629558 ext 215.

Recycling We are still recycling any type of used stamps, old mobile phones, ink cartridges, old and foreign coins, so please pass any of the above items our way if you have some to dispose of, we convert them into money and the total each year can fund numerous activities.

13 Green token scheme We now have a token box in the foyer of Asda in Norwich and we are spending all day on Friday 2nd November in the store fundraising with an awareness table. The green token scheme will run until the end of November, so if you are shopping in Asda, please make sure the cashier gives you the green tokens so you can pop them in our box.

20. Craft Items for the Shows We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who donated craft items for the shows this year. There was a lot of work put into many of the items, knitted and crocheted toys, blankets, socks etc. and it was so appreciated. We have sold much of the stock in the past few months, so if anyone would like to donate anything for next year we would be most grateful.

21. Sports Programme Due to staff illness we have unfortunately cancelled some of the sporting events booked for the past few months. We are trying to keep many of the regular activities running and we would like to thank all the volunteers who are assisting with these. The swimming, tandem cycling and short mat bowls will continue until Christmas and we will book more dates for these events and others for the New Year. Please phone 01603 629558 or tick the box on the back page if you would like more information about our sporting events.

22. Transport Overview a. Rising operating costs in the past year have caused us to review our whole regime of charges in relation to our activities and, specifically, the transport used to support them. While these increases represent the first rise in charges for four years I readily accept that many of you will find them as unwelcome as I do. The fact remains though that last year we spent £14,000 alone 14 on transport for our NNAB activities. This sum can only increase in line with the cost of fuel and vehicle maintenance. In order, therefore, to protect the future provision of the full range of activities and groups established and supported by the NNAB, I have felt it necessary to transfer some of the increased costs on to our wider family.

Banding Areas b. These are areas where charges are fixed (e.g. inner Norwich ring road charge is currently £2.50 for a return journey). We use this system to charge a VIP attending an activity based at any one of our Centres. From 1st August 2012, the current rate across all banded areas will increase by 50p. Examples of activities charged with this regime are:  Visiting any of our centres.  All shopping trips.  All leisure activities.  All NNAB classes, i.e. Braille, Creative writing etc.  Home/befriending visits, where the VIP goes outside their home.

Volunteer Mileage Charges c. This is based on the miles used by the volunteers or Community Workers transporting a VIP. The cost per mile for this is 35p. Examples of a chargeable journey are:  Attendance at all non-NNAB VIP clubs.  All other trips using a volunteer/Community Worker that have not been covered in Paragraph b.  Journeys to medical facilities which are not directly linked to treatment for a visual impairment.

Free d. The following activities do not attract any charge to the VIP or volunteer:  Volunteer help at any of our NNAB Centres. 15  All Eye Clinic duties.  Flag days/fundraising.  Eye-related medical visits to any hospital or medical centre  Befriending visits, where the visit takes place in the VIP’s home.

Further Changes e. The Heritage Group’s minibus fees will lower to £3.50 for any trip length. This will coincide with all other minibus charges. f. If a VIP has not visited any of our centres before and a Community Worker or one of our volunteers brings them to that site, that first visit will be free of charge. g. If a friend or family member accompanies a VIP for any of our leisure activities in our minibuses they will also be charged the minibus fee. If we organise for one of our volunteers to guide/help the VIP the NNAB will pay that cost. h. If any VIP uses a volunteer driver (rather than the NNAB- provided bus) to take them to a walk, they will be charged at the banding rate, not the flat rate of £3.50 etc. i. The majority of our Norwich BAC Centre classes are staying at the same entrance cost (£2). All of the class entrance fees include initial refreshment; all subsequent drinks are to be paid for.

VIP Clubs j. In the past we would waive charges for volunteer helpers who put a mileage claim into the NNAB for them to attend an affiliated

VIP Club, either to run or to help at that Club. This is no longer the case and in future all such mileage accrued will be invoiced to the volunteer or the club being supported.

16 Community Worker transport k. As of 1st August 2012, if you undertake a journey with your Community Worker in order to attend a chargeable NNAB event you will be invoiced for that support at a rate of 45p per mile.

Conclusion l. We have striven to keep these instructions as simple as possible, but do recognise that some of it could be a little confusing – however, do not despair, your Community Worker is here to help you and they will take any questions you may have as a result of reading this briefing note.

23. Christmas Annual Draw Invitation Come and join us for our Annual Raffle Draw At the NNAB Bradbury Activity Centre, Norwich On Friday December 14th at 12.00 Followed by a Carol Service at 13.30 And Enjoy Some Mulled Wine and Mince Pies

24. Happy Christmas Everyone here at the NNAB would like to thank you for all your help and support, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a healthy New Year!

17 Thomas Tawell House Residential and Respite Home For The Visually Impaired

If you or someone you know is visually impaired and needs Respite or Residential Care then Thomas Tawell House could be what you are looking for

The home is situated in the award winning grounds of the Norfolk and Norwich Association for the Blind Magpie Road Norwich

Facilities include:

 Single fully furnished rooms with en-suite

 A safe friendly specifically designed environment for the visually impaired

 The staff are highly trained in caring for the visually impaired

 All meals are cooked on site and all dietary needs are catered for

If you would like further details or to arrange a visit please contact us on 01603 767526

18 Return Slip October 2012 Please tick the appropriate box/boxes below, fill in your details and send this form back to us at our main office.

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19 Helping us to help you

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Is there anything else you would like to tell us about? Do you have any useful tips that we could pass on to others via The Magpie News?