Archived Newsletter - Summer 2007

Hello everyone and welcome to the summer edition of the Newsletter. I am told that summer is coming in June so lets just hope that by the time you receive this, we really are in summer! Having had a very wet, windy and muddy week in Cornwall in May I am, personally, looking forward to the sunshine again! Some staff news to start this edition, I’m really pleased to say that both Valerie and Linda are now permanent members of staff, they are both Shop Advisors and work during the shop opening hours. Pat is officially now our Shop Manager and also works during shop opening hours, plus a bit extra! Our staff now consist of myself, Pat, Carole (in Totnes), Linda and Valerie so I have now had an official staff photo taken (by our next door neighbour) which can be used on our display boards and also you will see hanging in the shop shortly. It will also be used when we update our brochure. Peter Wareham and Louise Clunies-Ross are both working for us in a consultancy capacity so are not officially members of staff. They are helping us out for a year following the Review undertaken by Dr. Graham Lomas. More about the outcome of the Review in future editions. Also, don’t forget we are using Rod Wilson, from Optima, to undertake our low vision assessments so if you haven’t had an assessment for some time (or ever) and feel we could help you, please give us a ring and make an appointment to come in and see Rod. We allow an hour for each assessment, which is free to you, but you would need to purchase any magnifying aids you are recommended. Rod is a lovely chap and we have had many, many compliments about him, he is very patient and kind and gives excellent advice. Just give us a ring to make an appointment.

We are hoping, in conjunction with the WEA in Exeter, to run a new computer course starting in September. This will be held in Exeter and will be an introduction to using a computer for anyone with a visual impairment. It will be limited to 6 people so if you are interested then give us a ring and get your name down on the list as it will have to be done on a first come first served basis. The existing people who were attending the course run by Rod Keat will still be able to continue and this will be an additional class. Give us a ring on 01392 876666 if you are interested and we will get back to you a little nearer the start date which would be 20th September.

Club news now and Peg Jago from Exmouth rang me to tell me about a lovely afternoon they had back in March when Reg Hill (one of their members) was 101 years old. The Wife of one of their volunteer drivers made a lovely cake with an enormous candle on it which they all helped to blow out. She says Reg is a remarkable chap and still maintains his wicked sense of humour and fun.

Does Reg hold the record for being the eldest club member or do you know differently?

Rosemary Lamyman has sent me the following from the CULLOMPTON CLUB. She says “I am ashamed to admit that I have not reported on the activities of the Club since the enjoyable trip to Beer last June. Silence on my part does not mean that the Club has been inactive … far from it! Our activities have been varied and stimulating. They include light entertainment from Derek Macloy, fascinating poems read by the ladies of the Inner Wheel and a talk from David Morrish on Greenland. Our Harvest Festival went with a swing with lively singing and we are very grateful to Arthur Slater for his helpful leadership, despite his 90 years he has promised to conduct our Service in 2007 and we look forward to his return. Our AGM in November was peaceful and constructive and Derek Rugg’s talk about Devon dialect ensured that the December meeting was full of interest. Our post Christmas lunch at The Half Way House was highly successful. We also had a trip to Sidmouth to see “Mother Goose”, we are very grateful to Tom and Margaret Deeley for organising these events for us. Tom and Margaret also arranged for us to view the Charlton Farm, Wraxhall branch of The Childrens Hospice South West and we were given an excellent tour around the new building. My nephew, Robert Lamyman, made a welcome return visit to tell us about his trip to New Zealand, his splendid presentation included a lively Maori war dance. Richard Fox gave us a stimulating talk about Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Rosemary Rives Roberts came from Living Options. We have a very full programme planned for the future including a trip to “The Good Old Days”. We are very sorry that Doris Sexton has missed out on much of this activity on account of her protracted illness following her fall in October, and are pleased that at last she is showing good signs of recovery. She is settling in very well at her new home in Court House, Cullompton. Doris has been one of our most loyal supporters since October 1998 and is a most valuable member of the Club. We wish her well for the future and hope her recovery continues.” Thank you to Rosemary for this very comprehensive account of Cullompton’s activities and I would like to reiterate her comments and wish Doris all the best for the future. Shirley has taken both Betty and Maggie to see Doris recently and can report that she is doing well.

Jo Shute has given me the following account from the TIVERTON CLUB and she says “At our AGM in January we decided to give ourselves a new name. We are now THE TIVERTON CLUB FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE or the VIP CLUB. So come on all you VIPs in the Tiverton area, come and join us! We have also once again had to find a new meeting place as our room with the Rainbow Club was needed by a full time organisation. We now meet at Age Concern in Becks Square, Tiverton, which is working well although the room is a little on the small side. So far this year we have enjoyed a visit from Sue and talks from The Mid Devon Messenger and My Devon, the Devon County Council disability advice service. Now, with the summer ahead of us, we are looking forward to cream tea outings and social events. We are sorry Gerry Anderson is no longer able to drive for us. A HUGE thank you to him for his major contribution to the Club. We know he will pop in and keep in touch. We miss Doris Sexton’s lively company too and wish her well in her new home. She has always done this report for us so I am particularly lost without her!” Thanks to Jo for this and on behalf of the Association I would like to say a big thank you to Gerry as well as he has been invaluable driving for us as well as the Club. I hope he will continue his involvement with both Cullompton and Tiverton clubs even if he is no longer driving for them. I know all the members and helpers enjoy seeing him and will miss him if he doesn’t stay in touch.

Many congratulations to Pauline Williams of ILFRACOMBE CLUB who has just been awarded a Pride in Ilfracombe Good Citizen Award for her years of dedicated work to the Club. She was presented with this award by the Mayor of Ilfracombe and has sent me a lovely photo of her with her framed award.

A few “for sales” now:-

Mr. Fisher of Dolton (which is between Barnstaple and Exeter) has a Clearview Star for sale, he has had it about 4 years but it has been very little used, it cost £1,600 but he would accept £500 or near offer. Please contact him direct for more details or to arrange a viewing 01805 804298.

Mr. Edwin Lowe of Northam, Bideford, has a Spectrum 60 CCTV with adjustable height facility for sale on behalf of his Aunt, it cost £1,152.75 and he is willing to accept reasonable offers. Please contact him direct on 01237 471031 or email sueandedwin@googlemail.com.

Mr. Welch from the Plymouth area has a Pulse Data Smartview for sale, it is 3 ½ years old and has hardly been used, he will accept £700 ono. Please ring 01752 344068.

Miss Hudson of Topsham has a brand new large print scrabble which she is willing to donate to a good home. If you would like it please give her a ring on 01392 877353.

Nigel Timbrell of Torquay has recently sent me information on a Geddes reader which is available for just £50. He says it was made by a voluntary group for their own needs but after they had shown it to several people, they decided to try and make enough for the demand. It is basic, however it does work. The idea of this was to keep the price down to a minimum and also for ease of use. There are only three components to complete this system. 1. The electric transformer. 2. The small clamp which clamps the main structure to a table. 3. The main arm which contains the camera with an adjustable wheel for focusing at one end and a metal U-shaped piece at the other which gets clamped to the table. The arm is adjustable up and down so the print is smaller or larger or if you have a steady hand, you can actually use it by holding the arm and moving it across what you are trying to read. Attached to the main body of the unit are some cables which need to be connected to a TV via a scart socket. There is plenty of cable to play with. Finally, there is a cable to put the transformer plug in to give it its electric supply. The camera can be used left or right handed. At present it is only black on white but considering the cost I think it will be extremely useful to some people. Nigel also says he would be willing to show it to anyone in his area but details can be obtained from ringing Mr. George Kay on 0131 6643460. Thank you to Nigel for this information, I cannot comment on the Geddes as I have not seen one but it does sound good value for money.

If you are looking for somewhere to go over the summer you may like to know about a Low Vision Equipment and Information Exhibition which is being arranged by the Somerset Association for the Blind on Friday, 22nd June at The Westland Leisure Complex in Yeovil. It is open from 10am until 4pm and admission is free. There will be refreshments available. For those of you in the East of the County, Yeovil is not actually very far and you will be made very welcome by the Somerset Association. If you do go, please let me know how you get on.

For those of you in the South of the County there is a Vision and Hearing Exhibition being held on Tuesday, 10th July from 10am until 5pm at The Forum, Riviera International Centre, Chestnut Avenue, Torquay. This is being organised in conjunction with the Torbay Council, Partners in Care and Torbay NHS Care Trust. It is aimed at service users, carers, employers, health and social care staff and general public. It will give you an opportunity to have your say about services. More than 50 stands with information and advice will be there. Stands include BT, Health and Social Care, Fire Service, local and national sensory organisations, Carers Support and many, many more. We will be represented by our Trustee Terry Mudge and his Wife Ann who have kindly agreed to man our exhibition stand for us so why not go along and have a chat with them, they’ll be thrilled to see you and have the opportunity to speak to you.

One of our members has suggested that instead of our holiday to Bognor Regis (which we had to cancel) we organise a turkey and tinsel break in Devon. It would probably be a short break and would mean making your own way to somewhere like Torquay or Teignmouth as to keep the cost down we would not have a coach. If something like this would appeal to you then please give us a ring and if we get enough we will look at it. It would probably be in November or December but is, obviously, just a suggestion at the moment to see what the take up would be. I can’t give you any idea of costs but would imagine they would be fairly low for this type of break, particularly in a commercial hotel in Torbay but if you are interested then please give us a ring on 01392 876666.

If any of you are lucky enough to be going to London during the summer you may like to know that the new “Access London Theatre” brochure is out now. It gives information on 100 assisted performances taking place between May and October 2007. Productions include West End musicals, new plays, Shakespeare classics, ballet, comedy and opera. The brochure is available free of charge by ringing 020 7557 6751 or by e-mail access@solttma.co.uk.

I recently had the pleasure of attending a Talking Newspaper Conference in Dartington and met, amongst others, representatives from the Exmouth Talking Newspaper who I was thrilled to learn have now purchased their own premises. They found a workshop tucked away in the centre of town but it had no floor, the roof was derelict and it was covered with creepers. A legacy covered the purchase but not the renovation. Lots of fund raising took place and now the floor has been levelled and damp proofed, the roof rebuilt, the walls lined, insulated, plastered and decorated. Doors were fitted, the wiring was done and now they can use THEIR studio to continue producing the Exmouth Talking Newspaper which has been produced for 25 years. Well done to them, its excellent news. If you are interested in receiving a talking newspaper, in Exmouth or any other area of Devon, give us a ring and we can put you in touch with the appropriate group for your area.

You may recall in the last edition of the newsletter I mentioned, once again, digital television. Following on from that the RNIB are very interested in hearing your views and the following applies: “Although RNIB has a lot of anecdotal evidence that blind and partially sighted people find it difficult to use digital TV because of the on screen programme guide, there is no recent systematic research on this issue. RNIB needs research results that can be used in dealings with the government and manufacturers to show that current on screen programme guides and menus do not allow blind and partially sighted people to use digital TV effectively and easily. We also want to find out what precisely blind and partially sighted people expect from a talking menu and a talking programme guide. We are looking for blind and partially sighted people of all ages, people who have used Digital TV as well as people who have not, people who watch TV a lot and people who only watch occasionally, people who are very familiar with technology as well as people who do not use technology very often. The questionnaire can be filled in online or over the phone before the end of June. If you would like to help the RNIB with this research then please contact Jill Whitehead on 0207 391 2398 or if you are able to complete it on line then go to https://enterprise.rnib.org.uk/Questionnaire.aspx.

If you are a diabetic then this could be for you. BBI Healthcare are offering FREE a SensoCard Plus talking glucose meter to diabetes patients in the UK. The SensoCard Plus is the UKs only talking glucose meter (currently retailing from the RNIB at £49.99). It is now available free of charge through BBI Healthcare. This is the first time a talking meter has been given out free of charge. To receive a free meter, your healthcare advisor should first contact BBI Healthcare to request a “free meter voucher”. Once the voucher has been filled in correctly and returned to BBI, a SensoCard Plus meter kit will be sent out completely free of charge. Test strips are available on prescription. The meters are being given out at no expense to the NHS. If you would like more information then contact BBI Healthcare direct on 01792 229333 or e-mail them on info@bbihealthcare.com.

There has recently been a spate of distraction burglaries and bogus callers in the county so please be aware. The aim of the bogus caller or distraction burglars is to distract so that they can steal money and valuables. They may be smartly dressed and claim to be from the council, the police, utility company or health organisation. They may just ask for a drink of water, to wash their hands or to use the telephone in an emergency. They may sometimes claim to have lost a pet or a ball in the back garden. They may be men, women or children but all have one thing in common, to steal money and valuables. They can be very convincing, persuasive and plausible. Please be very vigilant and do not admit anyone into your home unless by prior arrangement. Also beware of rogue traders who try to convince you that repair and maintenance work needs doing. This may be a lie. Do not allow them to do any work for you but engage a reputable firm who is recommended to you by a friend or neighbour if you really do need a job doing.

I’m going to leave you with this now:

Smiling is infectious, you catch it like the flu, When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too. I passed around the corner and someone saw my grin, when he smiled I realised I’d passed it on to him. I thought about that smile, then I realised its worth, A single smile, just like mine, could travel round the earth. So, if you feel a smile begin, don’t leave it undetected, lets start an epidemic quick, and get the world infected!


Best wishes Sue, Pat, Carole, Val & Linda.