Oxfordshire Association for the Blind

Newsletter November 2012

A cautionary tale for blind skiers, by Colin Cure.

I’m delighted to report that our Annual General Meeting in September was a very enjoyable event. We were joined by our Patron’s, the Countess of Macclesfield and Robin Birch, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, and our good friend and supporter Colin Dexter.

Our Chair, David Warr, reviewed the successful year that we have had, culminating in the building of our new Resource Centre for visually impaired people. Our Treasurer, Amanda Tilley, confirmed that the organisation is in good financial health, though the campaign to raise funds for the new services is still ongoing. Sadly, our long serving Trustee, Desmond Pimm, and our generous co-Vice-President, Professor Anthony Bron, have decided to step down. We are very grateful to both gentlemen for all of their unwavering support over all those years.

I’m very pleased however that all of the other existing Trustees: David Warr, Professor Adrian Hill, Amanda Tilley, John Hewitt, Margaret Simpson, Sean Rainey, and Edward Pilling, were re-elected, along with Mr Simon Cruden who joins the Committee. Professor Hill was also re-elected as Vice-President. Now that Professor Hill is our only Vice-President, I mistakenly remarked that he is now a “singularity”. This caused some concern as those with a science background understand this term as meaning a Black Hole in space! I guess that it would have been more appropriate to say that Professor Hill is unique! The occasion was all the more enjoyable as we were able to present Honorary Life Membership to: Nigel Parsons, a former Trustee and Chair of OAB, whose dedication to the charity over many years deserves recognition; Nicola and Kevin Pamphilon, joint leaders of the active VIBNO group, who have celebrated their 10 year anniversary this year; and Michael Pooley, the leader of the much valued Henley Visual Impairment Group. Also announced were Honorary Life Memberships for: Chris Brand, a former Trustee and Treasurer of OAB, who like Nigel, helped to successfully steward the charity in the past; Michael Norgrove, who has raised funds, in many different ways, for OAB over many years; and Eric and Joyce Harris, who have together managed the auctioning of the stamps that people kindly collect for us. They will all be receiving their certificates soon.

The meeting was concluded by a very inspiring talk from the Chair of Surrey Association for Visual Impairment, Mr Alan Howell. Alan, who is registered as a blind person, spoke with gentle humour about the challenges of visual impairment and his approach to living as active and fulfilled a life as possible. In one anecdote, he explained that he is able to ski, if he can follow closely behind his wife who deliberately wears a high contrast jacket. Amusingly, this strategy failed on one occasion, and Alan ended up following another, rather fast skier, down an entirely unintended route! The main emphasis of the whole meeting, however, was to thank all those many people who have consistently supported our organisation, including those who have made the building of the new resource centre, the Campoli Centre, a possibility. I would also like to repeat my gratitude to all of the OAB team; the staff and the volunteer workers, who dedicatedly provide our services to blind and partially sighted people in the county and beyond.

The centre is now ‘open for business’ and I’d like to encourage you to make an appointment to come and see it for yourself. Also, if you would be interested in some training in computer skills or learning how best to manage in the kitchen, please do give us a call. When we have collated a list of all of the interested people we can set about arranging for some practical sessions. You may be interested to hear that OAB are now supported by the Prime Minister! Mr Cameron, kindly arrived at a venue in Chadlington to present us and Katherine House with a cheque for the money raised by the Chadlington Bike Riders. We are very grateful to him and the wonderful bike riders, who have raised valuable funds for us in successive years. This year they cycled from Downing Street to Chadlington over two days. They are already planning next years’ trip from the new London Cycling Velodrome back to Chadlington. Now that’s what I call an Olympic Legacy!

By the time that you are reading or listening to this, I know that Christmas will be fast approaching. I do hope that you have a very enjoyable festive season. Best wishes, Colin Cure.

PM Lends Support to OAB

Prime Minister, David Cameron MP visited the Tite Inn at Chadlington, near Chipping Norton on Friday 14th September to present a cheque for over £11,000 to OAB and Katharine House Hospice. The money was raised for the two charities by 30 cyclists from the Tite Inn who cycled over 120 miles back to Chadlington from Downing Street on 13th and 14th April. This year’s ride was run in memory of the founder of this annual event, Mike Willis, the former landlord of the Tite Inn, and was renamed ‘The Mike Ride’.

Before becoming Prime Minister David Cameron was a regular participant in this annual charity bike ride and had said that if ever he became Prime Minister the ride could start in Downing Street. Mike’s widow Sue was in Downing Street to start the event, and his two daughters Nicola and Genevieve took part in the ride, leading the cyclists back into Chadlington.

The cheque was presented to our Director, Colin Cure, who also took part in the ride, and Bernadette Ross, Director of Nursing at Katharine House Hospice.

David Cameron said, ”Every rider deserves congratulations on raising so much money for these two wonderful local charities. It is great that the ‘Mike Ride’ will continue. I always enjoyed taking part, and Mike deserves so much credit for instigating this wonderful local community event.” The next ‘Mike Ride’ will take place in September 2013, starting at the Olympic Velodrome and finishing at the Tite Inn, Chadlington. If anyone is interested in taking part please call 01865 725595 or email [email protected]. uk

Team OxEyes’ We would like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to the members of ‘Team OxEyes’ who took part in this year’s Oxford Half Marathon on Sunday 14th October for OAB. Our runners, resplendent in their yellow OAB vests, completed the 13.1 mile course around the city of Oxford taking in the sights from the Mini plant at Cowley to Christchurch Meadow, before they returned to the OAB reception area for food and drink and a much needed massage for those weary legs!

All nine runners - Ben Allcock, Tara Boyle, Adina Campbell, Laura Howdill, Liam Kilby, Ryan Lloyd, Thomas Pickering, Sean Rainey and Pete Thompson - have worked hard training and fundraising for OAB. You may have seen some of them in the press recently or heard them on BBC Oxford radio!

If you would like to lend your support to ‘Team OxEyes’ please visit the News and Events page on our website to make an on-line donation or call 01865 725595.

We are already building a list of people who are showing an interest in taking part next year. Please get in touch if you, or someone you know, would like further information on the 2013 Oxford Half Marathon, whether as a runner or a volunteer to help on the day.

Donations in Lieu

We are always very grateful to supporters who kindly ask for donations to OAB in lieu of birthday presents, wedding gifts or anniversary gifts. Here are some recent celebrations:

70th Birthday

Harriet Fishman asked for donations to OAB through our website in lieu of gifts for her 70th birthday. Thanks to the generosity of friends and family, they raised over £500.

Wedding celebration Lindsay Watts, a volunteer for OAB, decided to do something similar for her wedding in September. Guests had the option to make a donation to OAB in lieu of wedding presents and raised over £150. Lindsay said, “Our wedding presented us with an opportunity to raise a little money to help OAB but also to raise awareness amongst our guests of the valuable work that OAB is doing in our area”.

If you would like to consider donations in lieu, we have specially designed envelopes for this very purpose. If you would like a supply, please contact us.

Alternatively, why not consider asking friends and family to make a donation in lieu through our website? It’s a simple and secure way to donate, all Gift Aid is automatically reclaimed on behalf of OAB and individuals can leave their own personal messages of support. Simply visit www.oxeyes.org.uk and click on ‘donate’.

Just the ticket

We had a terrific response to our summer raffle this year and after 2 full days of folding ticket stubs the draw took place on Monday 1st October. The draw was made by Mr Raymond Bailey, a visually impaired person from Oxford.

The results are as follows:

1st prize £250 Lady Moira Nelson 2nd prize £50 Mrs Eileen Goodchild 3rd prize Meal for 2 at The Mole Inn Mr George Witney

Well done to our winners and thank you very much to all of you who bought tickets. We hope that you will support us again next year.

Fiona McNally

OAB Exhibition of Technology On the 7th December 2012, (just next month!), we will be hosting an equipment exhibition here at Bradbury Lodge.

The companies attending will include Optelec, who supply a range of electronic CCTV Magnifiers, both handheld and table top varieties. Dolphin Computer Systems, who develop and supply various computer access programs, from Guide for those new to computers, to SuperNova which provides a range of access solutions with magnification and speech. It is also hoped that Calibre Talking Book Library will be in attendance.

Getting the most from our website!

An article from the South Oxfordshire District Council “Outlook” magazine

Over the last few years we have been making it easier for you to do many things via our website. Things like paying your council tax, applying for a bulky waste collection or reporting a problem can now all be done quickly and easily at www.southoxon.gov.uk . In many cases it means that you can contact us at a time that suits you and we can work more efficiently. But what if you have problems using our website? Well, for people who have visual impairments or other problems reading our web pages, help is at hand. The site has a link to a piece of software called BrowseAloud which will read out the text on the page for you. You can find this simply by clicking “Accessibility help” at the top of the home page. BrowseAloud is useful for anyone who struggles to read text on their computer for whatever reason. It is simple to use but sophisticated enough to guide users round the site to find what they need. Another useful feature is the text enlarger which can also be found at the top of the page. A few quick clicks of the “A+” will make the writing on the site much larger and easier to read without disrupting the overall format of the page. Anyone who doesn’t have English as their first language can also get to the information they need using the Google Translate feature at the bottom of the page. This simple “drop down menu” has the ability to switch the text on the site to one of a number of languages. We are always trying to improve our website and welcome your feedback.

If you can think of anything we could include, or if you have any problems, you can email us at [email protected] ov.uk

Related Link: www.browsealoud.com

Getting inside OAB As you may know Bradbury Lodge has undergone a major transformation over recent months. Gone is the cold draughty Portakabin, replaced by our shiny new Campoli Centre. It certainly has been a time of change and improvement. One major change to OAB has been the relocation of our front door! The old entrance still exists but is no longer for use by clients as it only provides direct access to the old Victorian office building. The brand new entrance faces the renewed carparking area on the east side of the building. This new entrance provides access to the Campoli Centre where the clients will find our support and demonstration rooms. So for pedestrians visiting us we are on left hand corner as you come into Gordon Woodward Way. Follow the path around and you will come to a blue handrail on the left that will show the way around to the entrance and then on to the new front door. Above the end of the handrail is a silver intercom, the talk button is located on the lower right of this. Just press this and someone will talk back and unlock the door. The door is clear glass, marked at about eye-level with a row of opaque squares, 1.5 inches in size. On the left hand of the door is a handle that runs vertically from top to bottom. Just give it a push once you have spoken to someone and you are in!

Get a little more active with OAB

When I was younger, even though I was partially sighted and had chronic arthritis, I used to go out jogging, regularly three times a day and if I missed a day I felt really unfit! How times have changed, these days the nearest I get to exercise is hunting down the telly remote control! Of course your sight is not what it could be going out jogging on your own might not be the brightest idea. Nevertheless we could all feel better if we took a bit of exercise. Indeed researchers have said that a bit of gentle, regular activity as well as keeping the body going can actually keep your mind healthy. We are considering starting very gentle exercise sessions here at Bradbury Lodge in Oxford in a very relaxed and friendly environment. There will only be a certain number of places so if you would be interested in taking part please let us know on 01865 725595 and we will put you on the list.

Talking Fitness Devices...

There are a number of talking monitoring devices available for people who want to undertake exercise, such as a pedometer, blood pressure monitors, even a talking skipping rope! For more information call Sarah or David on 01865 725595.

Oxfordshire Retinitis Pigmentosa Group Many thanks to Peter Jackson for this lovely article.

I have the privilege to be the chairman of the RP Fighting Blindness Oxfordshire Group and warmly invite anyone in the county who has the disease, and their family and friends, to contact me and to join our group. We are one of several local groups in this country and we operate under the guidance of the national RP Society. We represent RP sufferers in Oxfordshire and generally we have two functions: the raise funds which the Society nationally can use to fund research into a cure for the disease, and to present the opportunity for sufferers in our county and their families to meet socially. For the latter, we meet three times a year in various venues. We usually have a speaker to talk on relevant topics. For example, on 20th October we met at the Royal British Legion Club in Abingdon to hear Gwynneth Pedler, Chair of Oxford Unlimited, to talk about their work for the disabled and more specifically concerning public transport in the county. We also heard Colin Cure last April, and, as you know, we visited the OAB in September. Speakers regularly include staff at the Oxford Eye Unit at the John Radcliffe on research progress. We have a post-Christmas lunch each January and a barbecue in August. We collect three or four times a year at superstores and other places in the county (including, last year, the Kassam Stadium). Two of them have also made RP their charity for a particular month or two. A Women’s Institute in the county chose it as their charity for their year. And much more.

If you are interested and would like further information, please call me on 01865 873246, or e-mail peterjackson25@hotmail. com Coffee Morning success at OAB

Our coffee mornings held on the first Monday of the month, starting about 10.30am, here at Bradbury Lodge in Oxford are proving very popular. They are very informal and relaxed so why not come along and make some new friends over coffee, tea and biscuits! So if you feel like dropping in for a chat and a cuppa we will look forward to seeing you! For more information call us on 01865 725595. Easy PC at OAB

As I write this we are awaiting delivery of a shiny new Computer for our Information Technology area at Bradbury Lodge. This will mean that we can start our, long awaited introductory computer sessions! So if you are interested in beginning to use a PC or would like to hone your skills why not give us a call 01865 725595 and have a chat with David about it. Electronic Magnifiers for you to see!

As many of you will know we have a range of electronic equipment designed to help with accessing print, both visual and audio. Since the last newsletter we have got some more fantastic handheld devices to show our visitors. These devices are not suitable for everybody as a certain level of residual vision is required, however some of our clients would not be without their handheld electronic magnifiers. To book an appointment to see these magnifiers call David on 01865 725595. The Looky+ The Looky+ could help the user read text and look at photos and comes with a magnification range of 2 times up to 20 times. It now also allows the user to read in different colour modes and also incorporates a better contrast ratio. With an improved battery life once fully charged it will run for 2.5 hours,. It has an LCD Display size of 3.5 inches allowing for Full colour and contrast reading modes:

The eMag 43

The eMag 43 has a large High resolution 4.3 inch LCD screen giving magnification of 2x to 14x in 3 steps. It has a full colour mode plus 4 semi- colours.

It has a “Snapshot Facility” which stores up to 15 images for viewing later. The eMag 43 can either be held by hand or positioned directly over an object when the handle is folding.

The auto focus accommodates an object distance between 13 and 76 mm.

It comes with a carry case with belt loop and carry strap a Wrist strap, a Power adapter with cord and 4 Rechargeable NiMH batteries, operation while charging is possible.

Once fully charged it has an Operating time of 2 hours.

The I loview

If I was asked to pick my favourite among the new devices it would have to be the I loview electronic magnifier. It has a Magic mode - allowing easy viewing from various viewing angles, there is a Freeze Image feature with the capability to magnify and scroll the captured image. It has a Video Out socket- you can connect to bigger screen such as a TV or monitor. You can save captured images, import, and export from different devices. You can also turn on-off and adjust LED light to reduce glare. The magnification is adjustable 1.5 x to 32 x. At only 220 grams (7.7 ounces) it is light weight with a big bright screen of 4.3 inches and has 5.5 hours of battery life.

The I loview 7 inch full HD he star of our new machines has got to be the I loview HD, this device boasts a wonderful 7 inch display screen giving FULL HD level image quality and adjustable magnification up to 120 X. It can be connected to the TV giving even greater magnification. Simple and easy to use for handwriting. It has a Freeze Image feature with capability to magnify and scroll the captured image, you can save captured images to an SD Card and import or export from different devices. You can turn on- off and adjust LED light to reduce glare. It weighs 535 grams (18.87 ounces) and once charged has a battery life of 3 hours use.

Another Cautionary Tale

This one from Bob Gerhardt!

I guess many of you will remember the rhyme which has the lines “Oh Dear, what can the matter be? Three Old Ladies Got Stuck in a Lavatory”. I was reminded of them just recently when coming back from holiday through Gatwick Airport. My wife, grandson, and myself were all in need of a toilet. My grandson spotted a brand new set of toilets for the disabled. Hurrah. There was a flat pad on the wall which activated flush glass doors. One then entered a lobby in which there were three toilets for the disabled. Another flat pad opened more flush doors to the toilet. I entered and the doors slid closed behind me. Finishing my ablutions I attempted to find my way out. When my grandson returned I was still trying to find the pad or button. Nothing…. Everywhere was completely smooth! An airport official was found and then he had to locate a key to release me. Just as he came back I finally found the flush pad which opened the door. To me this layout demonstrates a total lack of thought by the designers. Any one with a nervous disposition would find an experience like this very traumatic or worse. If this design becomes widespread I can envisage many more people joining the three old ladies. Be warned!

On the RADAR Just a quick reminder that we have RADAR keys here at OAB. These give the user access to toilets designed specifically for people with special needs, being roomier to accommodate wheelchair users and having support bars and handles etc. Access issues aside these toilets are usually clean and aren’t as likely to run out of consumables. To order your RADAR key call us on 01865 725595.

Your stamps helping us!

Used postage stamps and unwanted stamp collections enable us to keep on helping the VIPs of Oxfordshire.

You may think that common or garden stamps are valueless and while most of them are not worth very much on their own, just fractions of pence, when added up this can be a significant amount. For example, just one black bin liner bag full is worth about £30 to us and last year we raised £900 from donated stamps! Whether they are used stamps on a section of envelope or an unwanted collection of mint first day covers or vintage stamps in albums (or even all three), we can put them to good use. So please send us your unwanted stamps, go green and get into philatelic recycling!

Oxford Spires Bowlers

Our thanks to Kevin Pamphilon, Captain of Oxford Spires Bowlers

We have some excellent bowlers in among our members who perform at a high level, however we never lose sight of the fact that bowling is fun pasttime and our sessions are also social occassions where we can all enjoy ourselves.

We play at the Bowl Plex in Oxford, near the Kassam Stadium. Although we have some brilliant players, all levels of bowlers are welcome. For more information contact Kevin Pamphilon 01869 331778. s Blind Bowlers

The North Oxon Blind Bowlers Society meets every Tuesday!

Though some members of this group are participating in competitions on a regular basis, the group is actually a really good opportunity to get out and meet people and have a good time.

If you want to know more contact the Chairman Marisol Clack on telephone number 01295 269206.

Can’t see your computer display?

Don’t get angry, get access! Do you struggle to see what’s on your computer screen? If so, help is at hand because OAB’s IT support project is now here to help!

OAB can send an IT Support Volunteer to your home to make some adaptations to your computer. You’d be surprised how much difference a few simple changes can make – things like enlarging the size of type and icons, adjusting the screen resolution or choosing different colours. And all without paying for expensive software!

All our volunteers are trained and police- checked, and they’ll arrange to visit at a mutually convenient time.

If you’d like to find out more, just give us a ring and speak to Ana (Volunteer Coordinator) or you can email her on [email protected]

DAWN - Talking newspaper

(The Didcot, Abingdon and Wantage Talking Newspaper)

Weekly recordings of local news for people living in the area who have difficulty reading newspapers. For more information please contact:

Chairman - Oliver Hemming on telephone number: 01491 680427 email : [email protected] web : www.dawntn.org.uk

Have you considered owning a guide dog? We are grateful to Joel Young for this article. A guide dog can increase your mobility and independence. At present there are 4700 guide dog owners in the UK that are able to take part in everyday activities because of the independence a guide dog offers them. Will you join them? Guide Dogs are specially trained to guide their owners round obstacles, stop at kerbs and steps, and find road crossings and door ways, offering unique, safe and independent mobility. To own a guide dog you do not have to be registered blind or partially sighted, in fact, many guide dog owners have useful remaining vision. All that is asked is that you have a vision impairment that makes unaided travel difficult and, you have sufficient Orientation & Mobility skills to provide the dog with confident navigational commands.

Providing you’re suitable, Guide Dogs will find the right dog for you The charity has over 80 years experience of training and matching visually impaired people with the right guide dog. Great care is taken during the matching process; amongst other things, the charity will take into account you’re walking speed and lifestyle. You can apply for a guide dog no matter your age.

In 2010 Guide Dogs removed the minimum age applicants have to be to apply; meaning under sixteen’s can now apply, and recently a ninety-five- year-old qualified with a guide dog!

Joel Young, a guide dog owner from Kidlington, explains how Atkins, his guide dog, has made a difference in his life; “I’ll always remember my first walk with Atkins, it felt so liberating! I have tunnel vision in one eye and no sight at all in the other. Before getting Atkins, walking around Oxford was very tiring as I had to concentrate on where I was trying to get to and avoid people and obstacles. Now, when walking around I am much more relaxed as Atkins ensures I don’t bump into anyone or anything; allowing me to concentrate on where I’m going.”

To find out more about Guide Dogs’ services why not book your place at The ‘Guide Dogs information and your questions answered’ session on 23 January 2013 at OAB. The session will start at 1 pm and is expected to last two hours. Numbers are limited so please book quickly either by calling 0788126 9585 or email: [email protected] g.uk.

If you’re unable to attend, but you’d like to find out more information about Guide Dogs’ services, please visit: www.guidedogs.org.uk or call: 0845 3727433.

SSAFA Forces Help Many thanks to SSAFA Oxfordshire for this article. Among the general public SSAFA is probably not a charity that springs to mind. Yet it is the oldest military charity serving the British Forces, having been founded 127 years ago in support of soldiers returning from the Crimean war. Among servicing personnel it is the first port of call when help of any kind is needed and the following quotation from Alice Clarke (choir member), of the Military Wives Choir when they dedicated their recent CD release to SSAFA sums it up. “The Military Wives Choir is utterly delighted to be supporting SSAFA Forces Help, a wonderful and essential charity. The help that you provide to so many military families, past, present (and future) is varied and crucial. Your fantastic system of having people in all areas of the country, ready at a moment’s notice to support, listen and help, pretty much whatever the need, is a reassuring blanket that most of us don’t even realise we sleep under. As a military community we couldn’t be without you and the Choir is proud to be singing for you.” In a nutshell SSAFA- Forces Help is ready to help in any capacity those who are serving in the Armed Forces and those who have served, even for only one day, their wives, husbands and dependants. To give some idea of the scope of help in 2011 44215 veterans and their families were directly supported in the UK. Money distributed by SSAFA and raised to help them was £18,000,000.

The help we give is wide ranging from financing wheel chairs and scooters to arranging help with top up fees for nursing home care and paying heating bills for those with financial problems. We also support the families of wounded service personnel with accommodation at our Norton Home which is next to the Birmingham hospital dealing with such cases. If you need help and think you are eligible or you know of someone else who needs help in Oxfordshire phone our helpline 01235 548 039 .

Email: [email protected]

Full details of SSAFA are given on the website www.ssafa.org.uk Make a date for your diary!

If you haven’t got around to buying your large print calendars, address books and diaries for next year we still have some left.

Call Sarah 01865 725595 to get yours now.

Retinal Implant works for RP Two blind people in the UK have had an electronic retina implanted into the back of the eye. Both patients were able to detect light immediately after the electronic retinas were switched on, and are now beginning to experience some restoration of useful vision. Further operations are now planned for other suitable patients. The aim is to restore some sight to people with retinitis pigmentosa, RP an inherited condition that affects around one in every 3,000-4,000 people. RP is a progressive disease that sees light-detecting cells in the retina deteriorate over time. Retina Implant’s are designed to replace the lost cells in the retina. Patients have a small microchip containing 1,500 tiny electronic light detectors implanted below the retina. The optic nerve is able to pick up electronic signals from the microchip and patients can begin to regain some sight once more.

After having the artificial retina implanted in his left eye, one patient can now recognise a plate on a table and other basic shapes, and his vision is continuing to improve as he learns to use the electronic chip in an eye that has been completely blind for over a decade. Results from the first human trial showed patients could recognise foreign objects and read letters to form words. If successful, this trial may lead to establishing the electronic retina as a standard treatment for patients with retinitis pigmentosa. The device is not suitable at present for age-related macular degeneration, but advanced cases may benefit from it in future.

Speech enabled Music phone now available!

This is a Nokia N95 8GB mobile phone pre- installed with Talks software licence, which converts the phone’s displayed text into speech. Multimedia features include MP3 player with 8GB memory, dedicated slide out media controls. It includes connectivity options such as Bluetooth, USB and WiFi. Included is - Nokia N95 8GB Smart phone with Talks speech and multiple voice options installed, charger, USB cable, hands free cable which doubles as multimedia headset remote, spare battery, soft leather belt clip carry pouch. Please contact Pete on 07968 416670

CCTV Available

MagniLink Mira is an electronic CCTV Magnifier. It is a simple and stable reading system, ideal for use at home consisting of a monitor screen, a camera unit and a reading table and it is very easy to use. The system’s features are operated with a convenient control box, which can be held in one’s hand or placed on the table. MagniLink Mira can be used for a broad variety of tasks and the generous space under the screen makes it easy to write, read and do other tasks such as crosswords, puzzles, drawing or even playing with meccano! For more information contact Adam Holloway on 01491 638811. Banbury Macular Group

We meet on the second Thursday of every month from 2 to 4.00pm at Banbury Methodist Church, Marlborough Road, Banbury, OX16 5BZ. The meetings are open to anyone affected by central vision loss. Carers are welcome too!

For further details please contact John Critchlow 01608 685293.

Banbury Blind Club

Meets alternate Tuesdays 10.30am - 2.00pm at the WRVS Centre. Helpers are always welcome. For more information call Enid Smith on 01295 269568.

Wantage Blind Club A social club for partially sighted and blind people living locally.

Meetings are held on the second Saturday of each month from February to December at the Wantage Day Centre from 3.00pm - 5.00pm where members can socialise over afternoon tea.

A raffle is held and there is often entertainment. There is also an annual outing.

Transport is available by Special Transport Ambulance or in volunteers’ cars. For more information call Hazel Aldred on 01235 765849.

VIBNO

Visually Impaired But Not Old VIBNO is a group for the 18 – 50 age group in Oxfordshire to meet socially and have fun.

We meet once a month on the first Wednesday of the month. We alternate between meetings at a pub and then on the other month we do something completely different.

So if you are a VIP aged between 18 and 50 and want to socialise and have fun come and join us. Partners, friends and family are welcome to all events.

For more information and details of our programme please contact Nicola Pamphilon on 01869 331778 or e-mail [email protected]

V I V A

Vision Impaired, Visually Active is a group for visually impaired people with active minds. It meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 2.00pm in the North Oxford Association Community Centre, Diamond Place, Summertown, Oxford. We have an interesting couple of meetings coming up.

- November: A visit to OAB. - December: A Christmas lunch in The Black Horse, Kidlington.

For further details ring Ron Sears on 01865 553063.

Get on yer bike.. with Charlotte’s Tandems

We are grateful to Alex for this article.

There are several charities and cycling groups that will take blind people out for tandem rides, however Charlotte’s Tandems is different, probably in fact unique. We lend tandems to anyone with a special need or disability that can’t ride a bike on their own. This means that you can ride whenever you want, with whoever you want, for as long as you want. Joel was our first blind borrower. He and Zoe were Newly Weds and our tandem meant they could go on rides together. Other husband and wife couples have included Jan and her husband and Alex and his wife, Joan.

Dee is very tall and she searched in vain for a tandem to fit her, until she found our Cannondale tandem. She loved listening to the lambs as she rode along.

Stuart and his friends rode the tandem he borrowed in the Forest of Dean. He particularly enjoyed the improvement to his general fitness.

Dave needed to borrow a tandem to ride with a tall volunteer and again the Cannondale was perfect. He enjoyed the speed compared to walking. Alison is planning to take part in Triathlons. She tried out one of our tandems before deciding to fork out on one for herself.

Hassan has been riding one of our Dawes tandems in London with his friend Toby. Ben was able to join his work colleagues on a long bike ride. Davey and his friend borrowed one of our tandems to take part in the RNIB London-Paris ride.

You can read more about each of our blind borrowers on the Feedback page of our website, www.charlottestandems. weebly.com.

One of our tandems was donated to us by blind Bronze medal Paralympian tandem rider, James Brown.

We have a number of tandems available for FREE hire. We also want to buy tandems for parts of the UK that we don’t yet cover, so please get in touch, wherever you are, and we’ll try to help you. You’ll soon be having as much fun as our other borrowers. Sun Visors just in!

This time of year the sun is staying low in the sky and this can cause havoc with your sight if you suffer with glare. For example anyone with keratopathy or cataracts may be affected. Wearing a brimmed hat or a visor could be a solution. We have just got hold of some new sun visors. They are made from 100% Cotton and dark blue in colour they have the international symbol for visual impairment on the front. To order or for further information call us on 01865 725595.