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. If you are interested in earlier news, we have also provided an area where you can read or download newsletters from our archive.

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Autumn 2009

The Devon Newsletter
Published quarterly by the Devon County
Association for the Blind,
Station House, Holman Way, Topsham,
Exeter, EX3 0EN. Tel. 01392 876666
e-mail: devon-blind@btconnect.com
website: www.devonblind.org.uk
Also available on cassette tape, Braille and e-mail.

Hello everyone and welcome to the Autumn edition of the newsletter. I really hate the thought of summer being over but as I write this (and it's still actually August!) it is blowing a gale and raining quite heavily, it's also not very warm! Maybe we'll have an Indian summer, I really hope so! Not much progress with regard to The Old Ticket Office I'm afraid as we are having operational problems with regard to the plans but I'll keep you informed of progress. We will get there eventually and I have to learn to be patient!! The main thing to remind you about in this edition is our AGM which is taking place on Monday, 19th October at 2.30pm at The Exmouth Pavillion, The Esplanade, Exmouth, EX8 2AZ. The programme for the day is that doors will be open at 10.30am for you to look around the exhibitors stands, tombola, books etc., lunch will be served at 12noon, this will be followed by a talk on the history of the Pavillion at 1.30pm, draw and result of the competition (more later) at 2pm and the AGM itself will start at 2.30pm. We are, once again, offering a free lunch and transport for clubs. If you intend coming on your own and not part of an organised group will you please let me know as I need numbers for catering no later than 3rd October. The venue is much, much, larger than last year and it is not likely that the Pavillion will run out of cups and saucers! If you wish to come for morning coffee then this can be purchased in the Pavilion restaurant, lunch will be served in the main hall. We have decided this year to re-introduce our limerick competition as so many of you enjoyed it. The first line needs to be 'There was a young man called Tom'. Would you please get your entries to me here at the office by 3rd October so that they can be judged. I will read out the winning entry on the day. I'm looking forward to reading them as is Tom, our new member of staff! I know some of you are already working on your entries so please don't forget to send them in. Please do come along on 19th October, it is your Association and this is your chance to have your say as well as meeting all the staff and looking at the stands manned by Abilitywise, Calibre, RNIB Transcription Centre, Action for Blind People, Living Options Devon and Guide Dogs. We will also have stalls selling our diaries and calendars, Christmas cards etc. plus we have lots of talking books to dispose of as well as having a tombola and a draw. I can assure you there will be much more space, seats etc. than last year so please do come along. I am afraid that the only thing we can't sell is foodstuff so, unfortunately, no homemade cakes as it is all to do with food hygene and the insurance at The Pavillion. Plenty of other things to buy though and as I said previously, you can get coffee and cakes in the restaurant. As requested at last year's AGM I am now inserting the Notes of the AGM 2008 so that you have all had an opportunity of seeing them prior to 19th October. DCAB Notes on AGM held on

Monday, 27th October 2008

1) Welcome ' Brenda Barnes, MBE, (Vice President) welcomed everyone to the meeting and stated that it was particularly nice to see so many people attend.
2) Apologies ' Received from Marilyn Lant (Trustee), Dorset and Cornwall Associations, the Hearing & Sight Centre, Geoff Green, Devon Library Service, Brixham Club, Tavistock Club and Don Jackson, Hon. Life Member. Received from the floor for Charlotte Osborne and Doreen Edwards and Win Wickens.
3) Minutes of Previous Meeting ' Brenda Barnes read the notes and they were proposed as an accurate record of the business which took place by Gwyn Dickinson and seconded by Muriel Biggs.
4) Matters arising ' There were no matters arising but Maurice Budden asked if the minutes could be put on to the newsletter tape in future to save them having to be read on the day.
5) Chairman's Report ' Shirley Stevens read her report as contained in the Annual Report. Gwyn Dickinson proposed the adoption of the Chairman's Report and also gave a vote of thanks to Shirley who had taken over at a difficult time and has seen the Association through it. Shirley was presented with a small gift of appreciation. The adoption of the report was seconded by Phyll French.
6) Treasurer's Report ' Linda Garaway reported that copies of the accounts were available to take away if required. She then read her report as contained in the Annual Report. Shirley asked Linda to confirm that the Association had no money in Iceland and Linda was able to confirm this. Linda stated that we were in a fortunate position to have a lot of our investments in cash at the moment so we have not been as unfortunate as some. Rose Hewitt proposed the adoption of the Treasurer's Report and also thanked Linda for all her hard work, Linda gives up a morning a week of her busy schedule to work for us. This was seconded by Maggie Goodwin.
7) Appointment of Auditors ' Linda suggested that we retain the services of Redwoods as auditors as they had been very helpful and are local to the office. This was proposed by Phyll French and seconded by Rose Hewitt.
8) Election of President and Vice Presidents ' Sue stated that Olive Wakeham, who is 101 years old, thought she was President for life and no one wished to tell her differently. With regard to Vice Presidents, the trustees en bloc proposed Shirley Stevens take this position. This was seconded by Maggie Goodwin. Brenda Barnes had expressed her wish to retire at the meeting so she will be sadly missed and was wished well for the future.
9) Election of Officers ' Sue stated that Shirley had expressed a wish to retire at the AGM and at their meeting on 22nd July the Trustees en bloc proposed Mrs. Gwyneth Dickinson take over as Chair with Rose Hewitt continuing as Vice Chair. All were in agreement with this. Gwyn stated that she is President of the MD Society and would like to meet as many clubs as possible during her time as Chairman of the DCAB. She stated that she was diagnosed with MD 12 years ago and was invited to a garden party at Ted Brint's house where she met Brenda Barnes who gave her some sewing needles and now she found herself as Chairman of the Association and was very honoured. She stated that it was good to see so many people and the free lunch seemed to have done the trick! She felt it was important that people attend as it is their Association.
10) Election of Trustees ' Sue stated that the trustees were voted on en bloc for three years at the AGM before last so still have one year to serve before re-election. There have been some changes, however, and Terry Mudge had expressed his wish to retire this year. Sue took the opportunity of thanking him for his help and support over the years and wished him well for the future. Phil Jenkins had resigned during the year but we had co-opted Roger Ascough, Gwyn Dickinson, Linda Slade and Alma Swan. The trustees are therefore, Roger Ascough, Cleve Baker, Alun Gwernan-Jones, Phyll French, Marilyn Lant, Sandra Semmens, Linda Slade and Alma Swan.
11) Any Other Business ' Peter Wareham, Strategic Consultant, officially launched the voluntary visiting service pilots for Torbay and Mid Devon and introduced the two new Co-ordinators, Cherrie Crook and Lynne Clarke.
Muriel Biggs had wished to raise the question of pavement furniture but had, unfortunately, had to leave early. Sue stated that she had a letter Muriel had given her which could be distributed to anyone who was interested. It was written by the Seaton Council to all traders in Seaton informing them that they must not obstruct the pavements. Bill Long stated that there was a problem in Torquay and Sue would put him in touch with Muriel so that she could tell him what she had done to achieve the result. Maurice Budden stated that he was concerned about the reduction in numbers of people receiving the talking newspapers and wished to encourage those people present to take advantage of this service in their own areas.
12) Close Meeting ' The meeting formally closed at 4pm. End of Notes.

As mentioned previously, we do now have our calendars and diaries actually in stock. We have managed to keep prices the same as last year so the small yellow covered pocket diary is £4, the large wall calendar £3.50 and the large desk diary £7. These will be on sale at the AGM along with a new calendar we have had designed for us by one of our very talented Trustees, they are not designed for visually impaired people but would make an ideal Christmas present to give to sighted family or friends. We are hoping to have them in time for the AGM, they are really lovely and something very different. If you can't get to the AGM but would like a calendar or diary then just give us a ring and we will pop it in the post for you, you may like to do this to save yourself having to carry it on the day, we are quite happy to post things out so just give us a ring on 01392 876666 and tell us what you would like.

The Iscapins tenpin bowling team are looking for a new member to join the British Blind Sports winter trios league in Exeter. If you are interested then please either let me know or e-mail Enrique Cortes on enriquejcc@blueyonder.co.uk . You will need to be committed and available to play every week but I am sure it will be great fun and well worth a try. If you don't have access to e-mail then just give me a ring and I will e-mail Enrique with your details and he will contact you. You don't need to be young, just young at heart and willing to give it a try!

I have been contacted by a gentleman by the name of Paul Leworthy who is looking at the possibility of teaching a martial art to visually impaired people in Exeter. He is currently looking for premises but if you are interested you can check out his website which is www.jeffspeakman.co.uk. Age is not a problem but you do need to be able bodied. You can contact Paul direct for more details, his number is 07808937483.

Continuing on the sports theme now, if you are a visually impaired tennis player then you may like to know about the annual Metro Open Tennis Tournament which will be taking place on Saturday and Sunday 17th and 18th October at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton. In the Mixed VI & Sighted Doubles category you can nominate a sighted partner if you wish, in all other Doubles categories partners will be drawn from a hat by the independent tournament organiser. Any queries please contact Angela Green at agreen.home@tiscali.co.uk.

Some for sales now:-

John Lowes of Paignton has a ReadEasy Scanner/Reader for sale which cost £1,595, it has never been used and John would accept £750 for it. For more details please ring John direct on 01803 523703.

Phil Jenkins from Teignmouth has two mobile phones for sale, a Nokia E51 SIM free unlocked with Talks. Metal chassis and cover. Comes with cut down versions of Word, Excel etc. and Adobe, can do PUSH e-mail, is wifi enabled (so you can use a wireless hotspot to surf the web free). This is a top of the range 'business phone' but also has an excellent camera and MP3 music player. Comes with charger and manual etc., also Bluetooth GPS. All this for £120. Phil also has a Nokia 5500 Sports phone, this is a rubberised phone that is drop, dust and water resistant with a metal chassis, camera and MP3 player. |It has various sports functions and comes with Nuance Talks, charger and manual. This is locked to Orange but you can take it to a Nokia dealer to get it unlocked, all this for just £75. If you are interested in either of these phones then please let us know and we will put you in touch with Phil.

Adrian Sparkes has a Daisy Plextalk PTN CD player for sale, this is only six months old and has only been used three times, Adrian is looking for £125 ono which is a bargain price. Please contact Adrian direct for more information on 07748247556 or e-mail him acsparkes@blueyonder.co.uk.

Club news now and I have to start by saying that sadly the Torquay Blind Club have now closed. I was honoured to attend their last meeting and was presented with a cheque for £10,500 which will be used towards our Voluntary Visiting Service in Torbay so will be kept in The Bay. Anyone from Torquay is encouraged to attend the Paignton Club instead, for more details please contact Paula on 01803 552325.

Margaret Deeley has provided me with the following from CULLOMPTON BLIND CLUB and she says 'We have had a happy, busy time this summer, starting in May with a trip to the 'Good old Days' variety show at Sidmouth. This is always enjoyed by all who go. This was followed in June by a visit to Buckfast Abbey with lunch served to us by the friendly staff at The Grange Restaurant. A couple of members from Tiverton VIP club were able to join us. We were also blessed with beautiful weather. In August we got together with Tiverton VIP Club at Willand when Cullompton Club put on some 'home grown' entertainment with poetry readings, piano playing (with members joining in singing two hymns!), humorous tales and jokes and a short quiz. A tasty tea was provided by members, friends and helpers. We have had a walk around Uffculme with coffee at the Coldharbour Mill and a walk round Hemyock is planned for September for the more active members of the club. All this in addition to our regular monthly meetings when we have had a variety of speakers and entertainment arranged by Graham Winterbourne.

We have three new members who have joined us recently but regret that Audrey Brookes has decided she can no longer continue after many, many years of helping at the club. We will miss her. We are now looking forward to the DCAB AGM in October and a return visit to Tiverton in November.' Thanks to Margaret for this, it's great to hear how much they are doing and obviously enjoying it.

David Abbot is trying to set up a new club in Honiton for visually impaired people, he has the venue all sorted, in the Jerrard Wing of Honiton Hospital. He aims to meet once a month on a Monday from 11am ' 1pm. If you are interested then just give David a ring and he will give you more details, 07593541137. David is also involved with a group who meet in Axminster every other week on a Wednesday afternoon, if you are interested in this then please give him a ring and he will give you all the details. There is another group in Axminster called 'Minabb' they meet fortnightly on a Wednesday from 2 ' 4pm, they are looking for more members and also sighted volunteers so please give Shirley a ring on 01297 35395 if you can help or would like to go along as a member. This group is for anyone with a disability.

I am pleased to say that I am now the proud owner of a microphone system which has been purchased for me by Danny O'Brien from Cullompton. It is just what I was looking for and I shall be using it in future on all club visits so there will be no excuse not to listen to me anymore!!! Many thanks to Danny for this very generous gesture. If you are looking to purchase something similar for your group I will be pleased to show it to you and put you in touch with the supplier.

Exmouth & District Talking Newspaper records news from the Exmouth Journal, The Budleigh Journal and relevant items from The Express & Echo, weekly and distributes this to blind and partially sighted people living in the area. Their area extends to cover Exmouth, Budleigh Salterton, Otterton, East Budleigh, Lympstone, Exton, Woodbury, Woodbury Salterton and any outlying villages and houses in between. They have now decided to extend the service to Topsham. The service is free of charge and they also produce a quarterly magazine. They are now recording digitally and the recordings are produced on a memory stick. Do not fear because if you don't have the means to play this they will provide you with a machine and someone to visit to show you how to use it. If you are interested in receiving the talking newspaper then please contact the Secretary, Gill Laws on 01395 266968. Gill will be pleased to hear from you.

Carrying on the adventures of Marilyn Lant now and in the last edition we left her on her way to Melbourne in Australia. She says 'that was a 10 hour flight and I got there in the evening, they are 11 hours in front of our time. My friend lives in the mountains about an hour out of Melbourne in Moorooboach. We went out for coffee and then did some supermarket shopping. My mobile phone would work there so I was able to ring my husband. On my birthday, which was a big one!, we went to Melbourne Zoo. We travelled by train and it was very good. When you cross a road there it rattles as well as flashes and beeps. We had fun finding places as Angela is visually impaired too, we kept getting lost! We did find the butterflies, monkeys and bears and I had a photo taken with a giraffe. The kangaroos hide away, I got a t shirt with a tiger on. In the evening I went out for a meal with Angela and her husband. The next day we went shopping again then we sat out in the garden and listened to their magpies and other birds, the possums run across the roofs. The next day was really hot but I did a lot of shopping, the next day we just sat in the sun in the garden. The following day I had to leave to go to Brisbane which is a 3 hour flight. The lady in the airport was very nice to me as I set the metal detector off again! When I got to Brisbane a nice gentleman took me from the plane to the bus and picked up my case and then got another mini bus to my hotel. They showed me to my room and helped me to put my card in. The next day I was going out to swim with dolphins so I had to get a taxi. I had a one to one swim with the dolphin, we played water pistols and I have a lovely photo of the dolphin's head in my hands. Everyone was watching me when we played ball and he sang to me, it was great and something I had always wanted to do. The next day I went to Steve Irwin's zoo. His daughter has taken it over now. A coach picked me up and we went to various hotels picking up other people. We had to change coaches at the coach station and then we went to the zoo, which was an hour's journey. As we went into the zoo they were feeding the elephants and we were able to help. There was an exhibition in the arena and I was able to touch a snake and a baby alligator. The guides were lovely and helped me around, we saw the kangaroos and I was able to have a photo with a red one which I touched. I saw the koalas and they arranged for me to cuddle one. I also saw the crocodiles that Steve Irwin caught out in the wild, the black one was really big, he just sat and looked! The Tasmanian Devils came quite close to the glass as did the Bengolian Tigers. I bought some shirts and a pair of koala bear ear rings. The next morning I had to fly to Nareeta and back to Brisbane again. I set off the metal detector yet again! It was an 11 hour flight to get to Japan. The Japanese were so sweet and lovely and they really looked after me on the plane. I stayed a night there before flying on to Nagasaki where my friend lives. I met her about 20 years ago when I was in Hereford and she had arranged the hotel for me and the taxi there. She was learning English when we met and we kept in touch. She teaches English now at the University. I arrived in the evening and she came to see me and took me out for a meal, we had Japanese food but I couldn't use the chopsticks! The next morning she took me around Nagasaki and a garden which was behind glass and I couldn't really see. I went into the city and did a lot of shopping, I wanted to get fans and a kimono. We went into a Russian restaurant and then got a tram to the hotel. The best thing I saw was a Budda. After that I went into another hotel to try raw fish which I wasn't keen on but the table layout was so pretty. The next day I went to Keoto on my own. My friend had arranged it all for me and I had good help , my suitcase had to go by freight. I got a taxi to the hotel, it was the old theatre, the room was claustrophobic. My suitcase did arrive and it was sausages and pastries on a tray, not plates, for breakfast. I liked the yogurts too. I walked out into the old city, I didn't know where I was going! A lady was there with her Mother and she asked what I was doing, she said she would come to my hotel later and take me out. She did and we did shopping and saw a temple where you ring a bell and then you throw some money in and then say your prayers.

The next day I wanted to go to a big temple so I started walking again and met a lady who said she would take me to the bus and told the driver where I wanted to go and he dropped me off. I started walking and kept asking people but they didn't speak English! In the end two young girls took me up to the temple and I went in and saw a Buddist Monk, I had to take my shoes off and walk in, I had to throw money in but I kept missing and we all laughed. We walked around the garden which was very pretty and then I got a taxi back to my hotel. The next day I had to go to the station and had a taxi booked but the driver wouldn't take me as he didn't want to take me in the lift and I got really annoyed so in the end a lady from the hotel came with me. I was a bit frightened as I thought I was going to miss my train as I really wanted to go on the bullet train. It was quite an experience but I don't think I will go back to Japan again. I had been on nine planes altogether and the train was more relaxing, I went to sleep. I got to the hotel that night and they gave me a meal which was a nice surprise. I had a great time and a lovely holiday, an experience not to be forgotten.' Thanks to Marilyn for this and it's good to know she got home safe and sound.

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association have a new Information Officer for the South West, Barry Butt, so if you have any queries regarding anything to do with having a dog please contact Barry on 07766998671. Barry can help you if you are thinking of having a dog and can dispel some myths for you. Barry is a really nice chap and has arranged for us to have some information leaflets here at Station House so if you would like one and it is easier for you then just give us a ring here on 01392 876666 and we will arrange for you to have the information.

Did you know that this year the world celebrates the International Year of Astronomy to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the introduction of the telescope to astronomy by Galileo. At the Norman Lockyer Observatory the Society are particularly interested in presenting astronomical knowledge and understanding to those people who are visually impaired. Their inspiration comes from an aspect of Galileo's life which is not well known. He went completely blind in 1683 at the age of 72. However, this circumstance did not stop his quest to invent. It has even been argued that during this period he designed the ballpoint pen and a mechanism for a pendulum clock. The challenge for visually impaired astronomers is to understand the universe not just through visual means but also through the other senses, for example through audio or tactile astronomy. Sheila Redmond is one of the members of the NLOS and, like Galileo, has become blind later in her life. Sheila is an active member and gave a lecture at one of their monthly meetings. The Observatory is holding a day for visually impaired people on Monday, 12th October from 2 until 5pm. This will be in Sidmouth where the Norman Lockyer Observatory is located. They have a full programme of events planned including a welcome by Sheila and a visit to the telescope domes which will include hands on experience. If you are interested in this event which is called Touch the planets and stars then please reserve a place by calling Peter Goulev on 01395 225833 or Kathleen Dollery on 10395 512096 or e-mail enquiries@normanlockyer.org.uk . It sounds like a really interesting and different way to spend an afternoon so please do contact Peter if you are interested. The Observatory are going to a lot of trouble to put this event on so it would be a great shame if no one turned up.

Our Voluntary Visiting Service in both Mid Devon and Torbay is going really well and we have been able to arrange visitors for several of you, our members. Both Cherrie and Lynne will be at the AGM so you can have a chat to them then if you would like any more information about the service. The service is free of charge when a volunteer visits you in your own home but if you go out and about a donation towards the transport costs would be appreciated. We pay the volunteers mileage so obviously any help you can give would be appreciated. We are hoping to be able to expand the service in the future but this will, obviously, depend on funds being available. At present we are just covering Mid Devon and Torbay.

If you live in either of these areas and would like a visitor then please contact us here or contact Cherrie or Lynne direct, Cherrie is Torbay on 01803 203792 and Lynne is Mid Devon on 01884 266658.

The Cliffden Hotel in Teignmouth are hosting a course on GUIDE software. This is a course for people who have not yet had the opportunity to use a computer or have given up using their PC because of difficulties reading from the screen. An understanding of the QWERTY keyboard is of use but not essential. There are two courses planned, each will be broken up into 4 x 2 hour workshops. The first will be taking place from Monday 16th November and the weekend course will run 4 workshops, 3 on Saturday 21st and one on the morning of Sunday 22nd. The stay at the hotel will be charged at the normal rate and it does look as if you will have to be staying at the hotel to take part. You can register your interest by contacting Alan or Sandra at EYECAN on 0114 220 7007. Bookings for the hotel must be made direct to the Cliffden.

Important information now about Attendance Allowance.
In July the Government published a social care Green Paper, Shaping the future of care together to address the challenge of growing demands on England's social care system. This paper has it pluses and minuses and the RNIB intend to submit a full response in due course. The one very big minus is the proposal that AA should be abolished and the money used to help plug the gap in funding for social care. The RNIB agrees that the gap needs to be plugged ' but not at the expense of AA. If you, or someone you know, receives Attendance Allowance then please let the Government know your views. The closing date for consultation is 13th November. Tell them what you spend AA on and what you would miss out on if it wasn't there. You can e-mail careandsupport@dh.gsi.gov.uk or go through the website on www.careandsupport.direct.gov.uk or in writing to Care and Support Team, Room 149, Richmond House, 79 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2NS. Please copy in Geoff Fimister who is Campaigns Officer for RNIB at 105 Judd Street, London, WC1H 9NE. Or e-mail him gfimister@rnib.org.uk Did you know that MacMillan produces CDs and tapes for people affected by cancer' They have information in this format on breast cancer, coping with hair loss, bowel cancer, coping with fatigue, cervical cancer, work and cancer, testicular cancer, radiotherapy, skin cancer and head and neck cancers. To order the appropriate CD or tape please contact them direct on 0800 500 800 or by e-mail be.macmillan.org.uk. Sue Harrod, our coldwater swimmer from the last edition has written this which she calls an ode to icy swimming! 4/100ths of a second, that's all I had to do, to bring a Bronze to Devon and banish January blues. In Slovenia 2010, I hope for a result to cheer. And bring back a medal, from the World Championships next year. My sea swims continue, no neoprene suits for me. Icy water is amazing ' keeping bodies infection free. 317 took part and 700 watched, so why do I do it ' swimming against the clock' It's good to find so many that enjoy it just like me, and it's a challenge away from the sea. Thanks to coach Clare at Kelly College, whose skills could not be surpassed, her patience transformed me from very slow to fairly fast. Thanks to the farmer for a swim in his Dartmoor lake, finding water of nearly 4 degrees is quite a headache. I'll need nip and tucks if I am going global, a svelte like body I'll require, with a face a perfect oval. I have to set a standard for Grannies everywhere! But I draw the line at dyeing my lovely grey hair. Pilates classes beckon to tone the figure too, so hours in swimsuits can be undertaken without the need for finding loos! The only race I ever won was the egg and spoon aged seven, if I could only tell my teacher, what's happened now, but she has gone to Heaven. Now in my 60s I'm ready for wins to even up my score. So I'll keep on with my training, so I get Gold before 64! Out of space so regards from Sue and team.