Newsletter Autumn 2013 Issue 9
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green pantone 368 (NHS light green) Blue pantone 300 Black 95% Devon in Sight Your local sight loss charity Newsletter Autumn 2013 Issue 9 We say goodbye to Vice Patron Bill Pertwee green pantone 368 (NHS light green) Blue pantone 300 Black 95% Devon in Sight Newsletter Autumn 2013 Issue 9 Your local sight loss charity Page Editors Grahame Flynn A Message from the Chair of Trustees . 4 [email protected] Operations Manager Update . 6 Jennie Benham [email protected] A new look for Devon in Sight . 8 Contents Membership Disclaimer Bill Pertwee Tribute . 9 Elizabeth Twining The views expressed in this [email protected] newsletter are those of the News in Brief! . 10 individual contributors and are not Press Officer necessarily those of Devon in Sight. Resource Centres . 12 Andrew Howard Devon in Sight does not endorse or recommend any product or service that advertises in this newsletter. Product Report . 13 Designer Richard Williams Copyright Feature – Not just a shop! . 14 [email protected] This newsletter is copyright © www.spicegraphics.co.uk Devon in Sight 2013 Training . 17 Not for profit organisations are welcome to use the material in this Volunteer Visiting Service . 18 newsletter. However, we would Printed by ask that the source of material is the acknowledged. VVS Update from Torbay . 19 Peninsular OneSource [email protected] Reproduction of any material, in Feature – Our Sailing Weekend . 20 whole or in part, is strictly forbidden the without the prior written consent of Volunteering – VVS Volunteers . 22 websitemen the charity. All material is sent at the Devon in Sight owner’s risk and whilst every care is Fundraising – Making a Legacy . 25 Station House taken, Devon in Sight will not accept Holman Way liability for loss or damage. Forthcoming Dates . 27 Topsham Exeter Dates for your Diary . 27 EX3 0EN Devon in Sight is a member of Tel: 01392 876666 [email protected] www.devoninsight.org.uk Registered Charity No 1140978 Company Registration No 07371472 3 on the charity and I am sure that he will provide fresh ideas and A Message from the Chair strong leadership in the coming months and years. Just as this newsletter had gone to print we heard the tragic news of Trustees that our Vice Chair Elizabeth Hubbick had died whilst on holiday with her husband in Italy. I was looking forward to handing over the role of Chair to Elizabeth in October. She had already made a strong contribution as a trustee over the last 12 months and brought to the “It has been a role many years of experience in the voluntary sector within Guide Report Chair’s Dogs and as a Justice of the Peace. Our thoughts are with David real pleasure and the rest of Elizabeth’s family and friends. to see the I am delighted to have worked with a number of new trustees who have joined the Board during the year including Chris Sumner, organisation Richard Shuker and Steve Buckell. Sadly, Steve Buckell’s commitments with Action for Blind People have changed meaning grow over that he will not be able to continue in the role. Sam Legg has also made a great contribution to the Board but has had to stand down recent due to her work commitments. The recruitment of new Trustees and years...” the appointment of a new Chair will be a priority over the next couple of months. It was very sad that Bill Pertwee passed away earlier this year. Bill had been a Patron since October 2011 and was keen supporter of our work. Our Tavistock Roadshow in November 2012 had a World War II theme and Bill was more than happy to come along and share his memories of the classic BBC television comedy, ‘Dad’s Army’. It has been a real pleasure to see the organisation grow over We are particularly grateful to our other patron Lady Devon for her recent years, and to have worked with such a strong team continued support as Patron and for nominating us as Powderham of staff, trustees and volunteers. I have also been able to Castle’s charity of the year in 2012. keep in contact with many of our service users at the various roadshows and fundraising events we have held this year – it’s Although I am standing down as a Chair and Trustee I will continue always good to hear about the issues you face, the ways we to encourage and support the organisation and, in whatever way you support you already, and the ways in which we can improve our are involved, I hope you will continue to support the great work that services. Devon in Sight does for people with sight loss. Small charities are always facing challenges and the last year So many thanks to all of you that have supported me personally seems to have been no different. While we have strong foundations over the last few years, and the work of Devon in Sight. there continue to be lots of financial and operational issues to address to secure a strong future for the organisation but with our I wish you all the very best for the future. great team of staff, volunteers and trustees I am in no doubt that we will achieve it. I am delighted that we have been able to appoint Grahame Flynn as our new Operations Manager. Grahame has already made his mark Gwyn Dickinson MBE 4 5 The reality is that we can only achieve this by being smarter in how Operations Manager Update we deliver our services and market them. We also need to have Grahame Flynn sustainable funding streams. We are governed by Charity, Health & Safety and Company Law and I wish us to demonstrate best practice in all that we do. I have established working groups of staff and key volunteers for the core areas of our work. The groups also have Trustee representatives so our Board members have a clear understanding of our work, “It is not the strongest Introduction particularly from those working at ‘the coal face’. These groups of the species that have identified areas where we can improve, and the work coming out of these groups will also inform our Fundraising and Marketing survives, nor the most Strategies for the coming year. intelligent that survives. Our fundraising through Trusts and Grants is hampered by our inability to provide hard factual information about the ‘good’ that It is the one that is we do. We are currently working on an outcomes framework that can help us evidence our work. This will increase our chances the most adaptable to of securing funding through the Big Lottery Fund and GP change.” Commissioning Groups. The departure of Ben Gavan our Outreach and Activities Worker and Charles Darwin (1809-1882) our temporary Administrator Jessica Deacon was very sad but I am pleased to say that Jennie Benham has joined us as Administration Co-ordinator and is proving invaluable. She brings administration My stepfather is always saying, “Evolution not revolution!” and marketing skills from her work at St. Margaret’s School. Change for the sake of change isn’t helpful to anyone. However, I said in the last newsletter that I would listen to We were all stunned to hear the tragic news that our Vice Chair your views and those of the staff, volunteers and fellow Elizabeth Hubbick had died on Friday 13th September whilst on professionals in the field of Visual impairment and Health & holiday in Italy. She was elected to our board of trustees only a year Social Care. ago, but in just 12 months made a real impact to our work helping people with visual impairment. She was due to become our Chair in The staff and volunteers who run our Resource Centres and October. Elizabeth was incredibly supportive of me when I was Volunteer Visiting Service are inspirational. You just need to read the appointed in April, and became a firm friend as well as a colleague features in this newsletter to hear about the difference that we make here at Devon in Sight. We will remember her in our next newsletter. to people’s lives. We are highly regarded by our partner agencies but there is always room for improvement. You will see that I have given over our cover to the late Bill Pertwee our Vice Patron. We pay tribute to Bill in this issue. Our public face is very important. Following a recent survey of members regarding our corporate identity, the newsletter and In the next newsletter I will share with you how Devon in Sight fits website I have made changes to deal with the problems you were with the National UK Vision Strategy and our work as part of the experiencing. I hope that you like the results. South West Sensory Consortium. My vision for the charity is simple. Devon in Sight should be a Thanks for reading! ‘Centre of Excellence’ for people affected by sight loss in Devon. 6 7 A new look for Devon in Sight Bill Pertwee Tribute by Julian Garner by Grahame Flynn You may have noticed that we have introduced a new logo and Just as our last issue was going to press we learned the sad news that branding for the charity. The previous logo was introduced two our Vice Patron Bill Pertwee had passed away. Bill was very proud of his years when we renamed and re-launched the charity, and really association with Devon in Sight. helped us to raise the profile of our work.