Spring 2017 ck Warwickshire rwi shi a re W V i t si o r o n S u p p Vision Holiday Feature Warwickshire Vision Support Your Local Charity for Local People GREAT HOMEMADE FOOD – MADE EASY Great tasting frozen ready meals delivered to your door 3 Over 100 meal choices in 2 sizes 3 Free delivery – no minimum order 3 Cool touch packaging straight from oven/microwave 3 Selection of blended meals 3 Free from options (Onions, Glutens, Dairy) 3 We will deliver your groceries at the same time Our food tastes homemade because it is! For a menu call 01295 680 999 Or email [email protected] Sugarswell Business Park, Shenington, Oxfordshire, OX15 6HW Contents Regional Meeting ...........................................................................................................4 Stop Press ..........................................................................................................................4 Editorial .......................................................................................5 WVS People .................................................................................6 GREAT HOMEMADE FOOD – MADE EASY Jane Thorn ........................................................................................................................6 Christine Huber ...............................................................................................................6 Great tasting frozen ready meals Helen Gillies .....................................................................................................................7 delivered to your door Volunteer ..........................................................................................................................7 ‘What Do You Do Exactly?’...........................................................................................8 3 Over 100 meal choices in 2 sizes Steve Plumpton ..............................................................................................................9 Peter Soles .......................................................................................................................9 3 Free delivery – no minimum order WVS Events and Activities .................................................... 10 Progress of the Association during Peter’s Chairmanship ............................10 3 Cool touch packaging straight from Do you know how WVS is run? ................................................................................11 oven/microwave Community Updates ...................................................................................................12 Kenilworth Club ............................................................................................................13 3 Selection of blended meals The First ‘My Sight’ Group – An Insight .................................................................13 3 Free from options (Onions, Glutens, Dairy) Fundraising .....................................................................................................................15 Eye Health ................................................................................ 16 3 We will deliver your groceries at the same time Tips for Eye Health .......................................................................................................16 Funding for Bionic Eyes ..............................................................................................17 See it Right .....................................................................................................................17 Our food tastes homemade because it is! Glaucoma Group ..........................................................................................................17 Financial Matters .................................................................... 18 For a menu call 01295 680 999 Get help with your tax ...............................................................................................18 Or email [email protected] Attendance Allowance ..............................................................................................18 Money Matters ..............................................................................................................19 Life Stories ............................................................................... 20 My experience with the NCS Partnership ...........................................................20 Paul’s Story ....................................................................................................................20 Pat’s Story .......................................................................................................................22 On the Bus (2) ................................................................................................................23 Social Technology ................................................................... 24 IT4U ...................................................................................................................................24 The Accessible Friends Network, TAFN ................................................................24 Sugarswell Business Park, Shenington, Oxfordshire, OX15 6HW Wikipedia ........................................................................................................................26 3 What is it like to edit Wikipedia when you don’t have any vision? .............27 A Poem for Computer Users Over 40 ....................................................................28 Holiday Feature ....................................................................... 29 Happy Holidays .............................................................................................................29 Learning on Holiday ....................................................................................................31 More Holidays for VIPs ................................................................................................33 Acknowledgements ............................................................... 34 Regional Meeting Warwickshire Vision Support invites you to a Regional Meeting On: Wednesday 26th April 2017 At: Rugby Vision Support Centre Rugby Baptist Church, Regent Place CV21 2AG This will be an informal meeting starting at 10.30 a.m., offering the opportunity to: • Ask questions, but if detailed answers are needed please submit in advance in writing • Socialise and meet some of the Directors/Trustees and Staff of Warwickshire Vision Support. The meeting will finish by 12.30 p.m. All Members and Volunteers are welcome, but unless you live in the Rugby area you will not receive an agenda in advance of this meeting. However, copies will be available on request from the Office and at the meeting. Stop Press Board Changes Jeff Perry and Richard Orme have been appointed Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively, until the Election Board Meeting scheduled for September 2017. Jeff Perry Richard Orme 4 Rosemary Went, Editor Rosalie Visick, Co-editor Editorial On 17th February our monarch, progress made by our Association Queen Elizabeth II, marked her during his period of tenure. The Sapphire Jubilee. She has reigned remaining life stories told to our country for 65 years, longer than students are included, new staff are any other British monarch. For our introduced, and much more. Queen that date is a poignant one, Thank you to the Pauls. First, Paul as it is of course the same day as the Bowler, who has been sending us death of her father, George VI at the regular contributions for some time age of 56. When she was married now also Paul Hinksman who has 5 years earlier her father had given contributed to our editorial meetings her sapphire jewellery, which she for this magazine. We hope both will wore for the Jubilee. continue their work for Warwickshire The days are lengthening and the Vision. weather should be getting warmer, For a Summer edition of the and thoughts turn to a change of magazine we would like to receive scenery. This issue of Warwickshire contributions by mid-May. Do Vision features holiday opportunities contact us, not only with information and we hope there is something of that may be of interest to other interest to you. readers, but also with any comments Peter Soles has recently retired as on this magazine. Chairman of the Board; we record the 5 WVS People daughters, a granddaughter and two grandsons. Jane Thorn I love my garden and in the warmer weather will be out there pottering Jane Thorn until it gets dark – I even love cutting the grass: it gives me time to think without interruptions and I get some exercise. In the winter months I do lots of decorating and up-cycling of old furniture, giving it a new lease of life. I go to the gym three times a week, mostly to take part in classes rather than pounding away on a treadmill. I read lots of books of all genres on my Kindle or tablet. My favourite book so far this year has to be The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. My family are all very close and I am one of two Rehabilitation we often holiday together either Officers that took up post in January. in Cornwall, Wales or Devon, but I will be working 3 days a week, try to get away at least once a year mainly in the south and west of the to somewhere that guarantees region. Having said that, I will be warmer weather. My favourite place travelling around the whole county is Skiathos, a small Greek island for a while in order to meet as many where part of the film Mamma Mia people