New Sight Loss Service gets the thumbs up from the BIG Lottery
Devon in Sight was founded in 1925 as the ‘Devon County Association for the Blind’ to ensure people received the right benefits, and to provide day activities for people who were blind or partially sighted. Today Devon in Sight provides a range of practical help and advice to over 3,500 people across Devon and Torbay each year with the aim of improving people’s independence, wellbeing and choice.
The over-arching objective of the charity is to help deliver the England Vision Strategy; a national framework for improving eye health in the UK. Its aims are for everyone in the UK to look after their eyes, for everyone with an eye condition to receive timely treatment and, if permanent sight loss occurs, ensure early and appropriate services and support are available to all, and finally to promote a society in which people with sight loss can fully participate.
The challenge faced by Devon in Sight and other sight loss charities is a big one. Age-related Macular Degeneration is the most common cause of sight loss and, with an ageing population, the number of people in Devon and Torbay with sight loss is due to increase by 43% from 38,000 today to 55,000 by 2030.
Devon in Sight currently has a small team of five full and part-time staff, but they are supported by over 80 regular volunteers, a Board of Trustees who bring a wide range of skills and experience to the organisation, an Advisory Group of local practitioners and service users, and over 300 Voting Members who actively contribute to the direction of the charity. They also work closely with Action for Blind People, The RNIB, the Macular Society, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Blind Veterans UK, the West of England Eye Unit, MoorVision, SENSE, Action on Hearing Loss and the Local Authority Sensory Teams in Devon and Torbay.
Services provided by the charity include a Resource Centre in Exeter where they host NHS-funded Low Vision Clinics, provide ‘New Skills for Seeing’ training to help people make best use of their remaining sight, and offer 1:1 advice and training on new Assistive Technology and equipment for the home. They publish a quarterly newsletter for individuals and organisations involved in the Eye Health and Sight Loss care pathway in Devon such as opticians and the hospital Eye Units. Importantly, they also provide emotional support for people as they come to terms with a diagnosis of potentially losing some or all of their sight.
For the last seven years the charity has been running a community-based Volunteer Visiting Service in Mid-Devon and Torbay. Grahame Flynn, who is Chief Executive of Devon in Sight said “It has always been our ambition to extend our service to other parts of Devon. Therefore we are delighted to have received a very significant grant from the BIG Lottery Fund of £419,000 over four years which will part-fund a revised Community Support Service covering Mid Devon, Torbay, East Devon and West Devon. The project will include setting up a number of ‘Sight Loss Hubs’ in existing community buildings to improve access to a range of advice and support for people with sight loss. As you can imagine the staff and trustees are absolutely delighted to have received such significant support from the BIG Lottery Fund for this project. Most importantly it will enable us to provide more help and support for people learning to live with the impact of losing their sight.”
Grahame Flynn, Chief Executive, Devon in Sight
The charity will now start recruiting staff and volunteers for the service and hopes to start rolling out aspects of the service in the New Year.
Anyone who would like to know more about the project, would like information on volunteering for the charity, or who would like help and advice on living with sight loss can contact Devon in Sight on 01392 876666 or by email at enquiries@devoninsight.org.uk