Newsletter

Devon County Association for the blind produces a quarterly newsletter keeping our supporters and members constantly up to date with what we are doing and any future plans. Below you will find the latest Newsletter with links below this to download all our previous newsletters.

Use the sign-up box below the menu to receive the Newsletter by Email every Quarter. To receive a large print, audio cassette tape or a Braille version please call us on 01392 876666.

Current Newsletter - Spring 2008

Hello everyone and welcome to the Spring edition of the Newsletter.   Not sure if Spring is actually here or not!   One day we think it is and the next it really isn’t!  No wonder there are so many bugs and germs around at the moment.  I hope you have all managed to stay away from them and keep healthy but I know it’s not easy.  Pat and I have both had colds which seem to be taking ages to go!   I must say a very big thank you to all of you who sent Christmas cards and donations to us, they were  very much appreciated.   We had so many cards this year that we ran out of space in the shop to display them all!   They did look really nice and helped to brighten the place up.   I am afraid I have some sad staff news in that we are very sorry to have lost Linda as one of our Shop Advisors.   Linda was with us for just over a year and was a big asset to the Association.   She has decided that she needs to devote more of her time to her Lifestyles business so reluctantly gave in her notice.   We had a nice “leaving lunch” for her and she assures us that we have not seen the last of her!   At the moment we are short staffed and I am grateful to both Valerie and Pat for taking on the extra workload and also to Carole who has been up to help us out too.   We are actively seeking to replace Linda and I hope to have positive news in the next edition.   In the meantime, please bear with us if we can’t manage to get to the phone or you have to wait a while if you come into the shop.   Despite all being very capable ladies, we still can’t do more than two or three things at a time!!!   Please also note that the shop is open from 10am until 1pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and that I am the only member of staff who works on a Monday so if you ring on a Monday you may well get the answerphone as I may be out somewhere and not actually in the office so therefore your call will not be dealt with until we come in on Tuesday.   Remember, we are a charity who receive no statutory funding and therefore are unable to have all our staff working full time.

I know some of you were a little perturbed to receive our Chairman’s letter at Christmas in which she told you that we were thinking of moving.   Please rest assured that we have not moved yet and in fact are finding it very difficult to find what we are looking for.  We are very conscious of the fact that we need to be accessible so don’t worry, we wont be moving to Marsh Barton or anywhere that you can’t get to easily.   We have desperately outgrown Station House and it is very frustrating to have made the decision to move and then not to be able to find anywhere.   We will continue looking and hoping that something suitable turns up before too long.   I will also ensure that you are all kept informed of what is happening.   In the meantime, it is business as usual and we are here to answer any queries you may have, to send you any equipment you may need or to see you in the shop or at the low vision clinic.

Only a couple of items from Clubs this time so don’t forget, if you have anything to share then please let me know and I can include it in the next edition.   Before I start, I have had a call from Paula Stewart of the Paignton Blind Club, she is looking for new members and also for any interesting ideas for speakers or entertainers.   Have you had a very good speaker at your club recently?  If so, would you like to share the details with Paula please?   You can contact Paula direct on 01803 552325 or let me know and I will pass it on.

CULLOMPTON Club’s new Secretary, Jean Foster, has let me know that Gerry Anderson has stepped down at their recent AGM and is no longer their Chairman.   I know lots of you will know Gerry and I hope you will join with me in wishing him well and thanking him for all he has done for both Cullompton and Tiverton over the past years.   We’ll all miss you Gerry and I hope we don’t lose touch completely.   Cullompton’s new Chairman is Tom Deeley and Vice Chair Roy Jeffery so we can all rest assured that the club is in safe hands.    Thanks to Jean for providing me with this information.

Anne Decent from VISION OM has provided me with the following:- “Having just refreshed my memory of what I wrote before Christmas, I can confirm that we greatly enjoyed the return visit of the Just Friends music group to our December meeting, and have decided to make this an annual event.   The musicians are extremely talented and versatile and involved us in their performance so that two of our more sprightly members responded to the invitation to dance to the music, which added to the festive entertainment!   The Group is available throughout the year, charge no fee, but request a donation to Hospiscare .   I would be happy to give anyone their details.   It was decided to wait until our normal meeting date on the last Thursday of the month before having our New Year celebration at Darts Farm.  Members considered it would take all that time to recover from the Christmas fare and so appreciate another festive meal!   As I reported in December, our co-ordinating group are taking turns in arranging outings, and this involved a great deal of work for our Treasurer, Lyn, supported by Mary.  They did a magnificent job, for which I am very grateful.   Last minute illness meant unfortunate cancellations, however, it was good of Shirley from DCAB to join us and we all enjoyed our lunch and seeing each other again after the winter break.   We were sorry to say goodbye to Gill and Mary, two of our sighted guides, who have supported us for the last nine years and our thanks and good wishes go to them both.   February will see us back at the Institute for bingo with either Les or Annette acting as caller.   I plan to take my ‘exercises on a chair’ tape which I made a few years ago after our visit to the Sports Centre, to get us in trim before we embark on our ‘out and about’ season as soon as the weather permits.   I would like to put in a request here please, for members tell me the acoustics at the Institute make it difficult for them to hear me and I am interested to know if any of you have experience of using a microphone at your meetings and if so could recommend one and tell me where to buy it please?   We are now asking for suggestions for local visits as we intend to make maximum use of Bill, our driver, before he retires in August.   We are so fortunate that he was able to come to our rescue last year and shall miss all the care and consideration he has given, especially to Pat, our wheelchair user.    However, I am told that there are other volunteer drivers available so our programme planning can continue until the Autumn 2008 and beyond.”  Thanks to Anne for that, she is a great supporter of the Newsletter and it is much appreciated.

With regard to her query on a microphone, I’m not sure how many clubs actually have them but I know it would be of benefit to members as I find it difficult sometimes to be able to shout loud enough for everyone to hear in a big hall situation and I am sure other speakers must find the same.   I have been wondering if we should get one here that I could take with me when I visit clubs and may look into it to see how much money it would be.

Some “for sales” now:-

Mrs. Vaughan-Smith of Budleigh Salterton has a Brother Electric Typewriter for sale, she says it is light to move and she bought it new last year for £50, she will accept £20.  It would need to be collected.  She can be contacted on 01395  445818.

Mr. Alan Stokes of Exmouth has a Merlin 20” full colour CCTV Magnifier for sale which three years ago cost £2,350, he will accept £800.  Please contact Mr. Stokes for more details on 01395 263727.

Phil Jenkins of Teignmouth has a Perkins brailler free to anyone who can collect it, Phil says it’s been in the loft for about 20 years so could probably do with a service!  If you are interested, contact him on 01626 779877.   Phil also has a gas cooker which is fully working and this is free to anyone who can collect.   He also has a copy of Finger Print the Braille primer which is also free.   Lastly, Phil has a Nokia 5500 mobile phone for sale.  It is currently locked to Orange but can be unlocked.   He paid £100 for the phone then £50 for Talks and £30 for extra memory.   He is looking for £100 ono.   It is not a specially adapted phone, it is a standard camera phone which has had speech installed on it.  This is similar to a standard PC having a screen reader installed on it.   It means that a blind person can use most of the functions of the phone.   The Nokia 5500 is a rubberised phone with strong chassis thus making it water and dust resistant and resistant to dropping.   It is quite a small phone but Phil says he can use it with one hand, holding the phone and dialling with his thumb.  If you are interested, give Phil a ring on 01626 779877.

I have been notified of a voice activated telephone dialler which is being distributed through a website by a gentleman called Mike Wood.   The voice dialler is a small box that plugs between the phones and the BT wall box.  Once it has been installed and some names and numbers stored in it, it makes all the phones connected through it able to be controlled by voice.   When you pick up a receiver, instead of a dial tone, you hear a voice asking “name to dial please”.  You say one of the previously stored names and the dialler replies with the name it has matched, and dials the telephone number.  This means that anyone who can pick up a telephone receiver and say a name, can make a telephone call without the need to see, remember, or press any numbers.   The price is £99 including postage and packing if you mention you saw it advertised here!   I have no personal knowledge of this product but thought it may be of interest, Mike can be contacted on www.jolly-good-idea.co.uk or you can ring him on 07976 388081.   If you do decide to find out more information or to purchase one, please let me know how you get on.

I know that a lot of people still like to use cassette tapes but are finding it difficult to locate them nowadays.  Tapesense still sell them, 60 minute Maxell tapes are only 35p each.   They can be contacted by ringing The Persula Foundation on 020 7357 9298 or e-mail info@persula.org.

Jill Ferguson of Exeter is interested in light fiction tapes so if anyone has any they no longer need please could you give Jill a ring on 01392 215916.

In our Resource Room we now have an Eclipse CCTV on display thanks to Peter Searle of Arena Vision Services who are based in Exeter.   The Eclipse projects reading materials and photographs in full colour onto a 15” flat screen where you can magnify to over 50x.  It is roughly the size of a portable TV, is light enough to pick up and move and folds down flat when not in use.   If you are interested, just give us a ring and arrange a convenient time to come in and try it out.   We can then arrange for you to receive a free no obligation demonstration in your own home.  The Eclipse costs £1,495 and if we introduce anyone who purchases one then Peter will make a donation to this Association.

Enrique Cortes, who is one of our members and some of you may remember very kindly used to teach Spanish for us, has recently had some work done by a handyman who he can thoroughly recommend.   We’ve always got odd jobs we need doing and it is very useful to have someone who comes recommended.  The gentleman concerned, Martin Holman, has been in to have a chat with us here in the office and actually did a little job for us while he was here!   Martin has nursing home experience, has been CRB checked and has several personal references, as well as Enrique.   He will work in the Exeter, Mid and East Devon areas but I am not sure about South Devon, it probably depends on how busy he is.   His flyer says he is a handyman for all your needs however small and he has done lots of hand rails, flat pack furniture, taps, grab rails, shelving, locks, ramps and curtain rails plus much more.   He actually re-fixed an electric socket to the wall for us!   He calls his business 50+ Handyman and he can be contacted on 01395 567255.   If you do contact him then please mention that you heard about him from us!

A few interesting events now for you to make sure you put in your diaries or on your large print calendars (which I hope you have purchased from us!)

On Friday, 9th May we have been offered free places for visually impaired people on a Farm Walk to hear bird song, have a walk and then bake a pizza on a special oven.   The Farm is in Topsham, about half a mile from us here at Station House.  If you can get yourself to Station House then we will arrange transport to the Farm.   There will be specially trained staff from the RSPB on hand to help identify the bird song but, unfortunately, numbers are limited to 10 people so if you are interested please give us a ring and book yourself on.   I am afraid that we are not able to provide any sighted guides although the RSPB staff are willing to act as guides if necessary.  If you could bring your own guide it would be helpful.   The walk is scheduled to start at 10am so you would need to get yourself here by 9.30am, there is a train which arrives at that time.   The circular walk is around 2 hours but the farm can be steep in places and rough under foot so appropriate footwear is essential.   Please give us a ring and book yourself on for this free walk and lunch, there is fund raising happening in order for this to take place so please come along.  Station House is fully accessible by train, bus and car so no excuses!   Ring 01392 876666 to book your place.   They are quite happy to have well behaved guide dogs who would, obviously, have to be kept on the lead.

The next event is being organised by Thrive and the National Blind Gardeners’ Club, they are holding gardening weekends for the Spring and Summer, the Spring one is 28th – 30th March near York and the Summer one 25th – 28th July near Chippenham.   It’s a chance to meet other visually impaired gardeners, join in practical workshops and a gardeners’ forum and enjoy a garden tour.   There are experienced tutors and supporters to ensure that all your needs are met and that you have an enjoyable weekend.   Partners or carers are welcome.   All bedrooms are en suite and you can be picked up from the nearest station.   The cost is £210.   If you would like more information, please give The National Blind Gardeners Club a ring on 0118 988 5688.   If anyone does go, please let us know how you get on.

The Kingcombe Centre in Dorset are also offering residential courses to visually impaired people throughout the year.  They include weekends on Nature Photography in the Heart of Dorset, Painting Wildflowers in Summer, Life Writing Weekend, Moths to Midnight, Calligraphy Script and Colour, An Introduction to Identifying Moths and Butterflies, Herbal Medicines and Wildflowers of Dorset.   If you would like more information, please ring them direct on 01300 320684.

The last event to advertise is our AGM and social event which is taking place on Monday, 27th October at The America Hall, Pinhoe, Exeter.   We will be having all sorts of equipment on display in the morning as well as our tombola and cake stall then in the afternoon we will be having a speaker talking about the digital changeover and audio description.   The digital switch over comes to Devon next year so we all need to be prepared.   Come along and ask any questions you may have.   I have already mentioned in the last newsletter that we have agreed to pay for transport costs if clubs organise a minibus or coach and if you don’t attend a club then please give us a ring and we will put you in touch with the nearest one to you so that you can share transport.   I am sorry but we are unable to fund individual taxis for obvious reasons.   As an added incentive to come along this year we are providing, FREE OF CHARGE, a lovely home made buffet lunch to all those attending so it should be a very good day out.   A chance to have a look at all the latest technology available, try your luck at the tombola, buy a home made cake or pot of jam, have a wonderful free lunch and then listen to the up to date information on digital changeover.  I also have something else planned which should be a bit of fun but I’m keeping that quiet for the time being!    Please do encourage your club to come along or arrange transport for yourself and others.   This is your chance to meet up with friends from all over the county and have a good day out.   Do make sure you have the date definitely in your diary.

Calling all Tarzans and Janes now!   Seeing are arranging a fund raising event on Saturday, April 5th at The Rock and Caving Centre at Chudleigh, where people can move from treetop to treetop using rope bridges, swings and much, much more, the challenge is completed with a 150 ft zip slide!!   If you know of anyone who would like to do this then please put them in touch with Kate on 01626 777943.   David Nairn from Seeing has told me that visually impaired people themselves will be able to undertake this challenge at a later date if they would like to but the event on April 5th is really for sighted people who are raising funds.   Seeing raise money to make a difference to blind and partially sighted people in Devon and can support individuals with sight loss by providing equipment, one to one training and other domestic items such as talking microwaves.   If you would like to contact them, then please ring 01626 777934.

If you, or a late husband or wife, have ever been in any branch of the Forces then you are eligible to join St. Dunstans.    They are an excellent charity for ex Service men and women and are well worth joining.  To find out if you are eligible please ring their freephone number which is 0800 389 7979.   You no longer need to have been blinded whilst in Service as they now help anyone with a visual impairment who has been in the Forces in the past.

Those of you who live in the Exeter area can’t have failed to know about the new Princesshay development which has been very controversial.   There is now a Braille map of the area available from Exeter City Council and some of the local Rehab Officers also have them.   Marilyn Lant, who has been very involved in advising on the development, has one which she is willing to loan out to anyone so if you are interested please give Marilyn a ring on 01392 469604.

Also in the Exeter area, the Northcott Theatre is now re-open and providing audio described performances.   For more information or to book please ring them on 01392 493493.

The Theatre Royal in Plymouth are also offering a whole range of audio described performances, for more details contact the box office on 01752 267222.

If you are a football supporter, you may be interested to know that Torquay United now provide audio description at all their home matches, they have 10 new handsets which will allow blind and partially sighted supporters to follow the game.   They also have a taped version of a “talking leaflet” which gives a bit of a history to this service.   They have put a considerable amount of time and money into this service so if you live in the area then please use it.   If you are interested in going along then why not ring them on 01803 328666.

Are you a visually impaired musician?   If so, would you be interested in playing in a special outside event to be held at The Cliffden Hotel in memory of Steve Morgan who sadly died earlier this year and who used to work for Action for Blind People?   The money raised is going to be used to set up a charity to help visually impaired musicians as this was one of Steve’s dreams.   If you think you could and would like to help then please ring Steve Buckle at Action for Blind People in Exeter on 01392 332818.   The event is likely to take place around late summer this year.

Running out of space now but just wanted to assure you that the information we hold on you on our database is most definitely NOT given to any other organisation and is just held by us in order that we can notify you of anything we are doing and to send you this Newsletter!    Look forward to seeing you at various clubs and in our shop, with best wishes, Sue, Pat, Valerie at Station House and Carole in Totnes.

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Winter 2007

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