Northumberland County Blind Association Supporting blind and partially sighted people Issue 103 NoISe Autumn 2018 NoISe (Northumberland Information Service for People with Vision Impairment) is the quarterly newsletter of the Northumberland County Blind Association. NCBA wins funding to pilot accessible heating controls Northumberland County Blind The Energy Redress Scheme is funded by voluntary payments Association is one of six UK charities that have been made by energy companies awarded funding for sustainable following enforcement and compliance action by Ofgem. energy projects in the first round of grants from the Energy Industry Voluntary Redress The overarching aim of the Energy Redress Scheme is to Scheme. distribute available funds to Energy Saving Trust, which was support energy consumers in vulnerable situations and the appointed by Ofgem to distribute the Energy Redress development of products or Scheme monies to eligible services which would provide charitable organisations, a benefit for certain groups of announced the first phase of energy consumers. funding following a rigorous assessment period. The first round of funding will www.ncba.org.uk 1 Anthony Pygram, Director of see £40,000 go towards a community heating network in Conduct and Enforcement at Stirlingshire, £75,000 for the Ofgem, said: “We are pleased creation of a one-stop energy to see the first awards to advice service in Rochdale, charities of payments from Tameside and Bury, and nearly energy companies to the £40,000 for the creation of a Voluntary Redress Scheme new programme to help make following Ofgem’s enforcement heating controls accessible for and compliance activity. These visually impaired people in grants will help vulnerable Northumberl and. customers throughout the UK through a number of schemes, Other successful applications as well as investing in new include £63,000 for a 20-month and innovative products and programme to help 5,000 services for consumers.” vulnerable residents in Wirral, £35,000 for an innovative Sandra Donkin, NCBA’s cooking and lighting energy Organisational Development saving programme on Lewis, Manager said: “The project for and £28,000 to create a Northumberland has been voluntary energy champion designed to pilot four different programme in Wigan. kinds of heating control solutions in the households of Mike Thornton, Group Director people with a visual impairment. of Operations at Energy Saving Trust said: “The first round of The four different solutions will awards for the Energy Redress be evaluated to identify which Scheme demonstrate the ability one provides the most benefit in of charities and their partners to terms of operability in relation to help consumers, especially the level of sight loss of the vulnerable consumers, with their householder; cost and energy bills.” practicality to enable the different interventions to be 2 made available to all. Advice on energy saving and management will also be given Everyone participating in the as part of the pilot.” pilot will be assessed by a specialist in Visual Processing If you would like to be part to determine which system is of this exciting pilot please most likely to be effective and call Sandra on 01670 514316 any other support that they or send an e mail to might need. [email protected] Julie’s journey “I got fed up with being a passenger in my own life” I got tired of being a passenger I asked about the likelihood of in my own life and felt the time the same happening to the was right to accept my sight other eye and was told ‘one in a loss and move forward. million’ and that I’d been ‘unlucky’. Three years ago I lost the sight in my right eye. It happened A year to the month later, I was quite quickly over the course two that unlucky one in a million, days as the result of a detached when the same happened to the retina. Four operations later the left eye. consultants told me nothing further could be done, leaving After another two operations me with no peripheral or lower later, (six now in total), I’d lost vision; they couldn’t remove the the central vision in my left eye oil they’d put in to hold the and also had macular oedema remainder of the retina in place which changes how I see as it would fall away, so the colour. I finally had to accept my small square of vision I still have, sight had almost gone and life is a blur of smudged images. would never be the same again. 3 I had to give up driving and independence. leave my job, both of which I loved. I felt myself go inward, Long cane training gave me the but I didn’t cry, get angry or confidence to get out and about even grieve for the loss of my and attending the Living with sight. I comforted myself by Sight Loss Course gave me so saying ‘this is life changing not much more! It gave me a feeling life threatening’ and by thinking of enablement, things I once I’d been dealt the better hand, thought impossible were now I accepted it. My spirit inside possible. It was great to meet however, flat lined, life seemed others in a similar position as too difficult to do alone. My myself and a relief to hear husband Ian offered me great stories and share hints and tips support. He became my eyes on how to cope with everyday (and sometimes my voice), I situations. Hearing about the became a passenger in my range of support and benefits own life. available has been life changing and I’ll always thank my lucky So what changed and how stars that we signed up for the did I get to where I am now? course. There were even sim specs that partners could try After moving to Northumberland on to simulate sight loss, I met with the local rehab team, something that has stayed with who offered me long cane Ian even now, giving him an training. Ian and I both signed even deeper understanding of up for a Living with Sight Loss my experiences. Course with NCBA. These two things marked the turning point Following on from the mobility of my journey. My life was session Ian and I signed up for nudged out of ‘stale mate’ and I ‘friends and family sighted realised I had to learn to do guiding training’, and I’ve since things differently to move undertaken further mobility forward and regain my training which has given me the 4 confidence to do things I once there alone, hoping I’d get the thought were impossible. right buses and then be able to find my way to the office when I I wanted the confidence to got off the other end. I can’t reach four goals, one, walk to begin to put into words the the local shop. Two, to walk sense of achievement and pride to the hairdressers. Three, to arriving at NCBA gave me. The get to the supermarket and staff were so welcoming and four, to get to the NCBAs took a photo of me in the garden offices in Morpeth which to prove to my guide that I had entailed two buses! With the made it! I later found out she help and support I’ve received had been ill and was unable to I’m proud to say all of these make this trip with me. have now been accomplished, although it wasn’t all plain I feel like a new chapter in my sailing. life is just beginning. I’m starting to feel like me again and am My mobility training had been regaining some of the me that’s building me up to the biggest been lost these last three years. and longest journey, to I’m also getting up to date with NCBA’s office in Morpeth, this some of the technology that was involved a bus change in mentioned in the Living with Ashington. Sight Loss course which is proving challenging but with On the day of my planned trip I their support I will conquer it. was due to meet my guide at the bus changeover. After Going forward I’d like to be more waiting half an hour I realised involved in some of the support she wasn’t coming and had no and social groups run by NCBA. means of contacting her. I was There are so many to choose left with two choices, go home from, which is why I wanted one or continue alone. As scary as of my first routes to be how to it was I decided to try to get get there! I’m particularly 5 interested in yoga and Confidence Building course to meditation but there’s craft, share my story, along with the gardening, days out, book coping strategies I’ve clubs and much more. developed, with a new group of participants and I enjoyed it so Ian and I now have a much I will be returning as a motorhome and we are keen facilitator - watch this space! to get out and about as much as possible, and although I To anyone who is thinking can’t see the detail as I once about joining a course but isn’t did, I can still tell, feel and quite sure if it’s for you, my breathe the beauty in the advice is just do it. You’ve peace and tranquillity of the everything to gain and nothing places we visit. to lose. For me it’s been life changing. Hope to see you I was invited back to the next soon! Living with Sight Loss – Photograph with Julie standing in the garden at NCBA’s office in Morpeth.