Somerset Insight

Issue 52 May 2015

May 2015

A MAGAZINE FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE IN SOMERSET

Somerset Sight,
Northfield House,
51 Staplegrove Road,
Taunton, TA1 1DG
Registered Charity Number 1154472
Main telephone number 01823 333818
Website: www.somersetsight.org.uk
Email: admin@somersetsight.org.uk
Somerset Insight is published in January, May and September
and is distributed free to visually impaired people living in
Somerset. It is available in large print, Braille, audio cassette
and CD formats.
Pictured on the front cover:
Nicky Bradford, Somerset Sight Volunteer, with cast of St James
Players.
Somerset Sight Ltd is a registered charity and company limited
by guarantee, registered in England. Company no: 8432686.

The Chief Executive Officer's Report

Welcome to the spring edition of Insight. Summer is truly on
its way and the days are getting markedly longer and warmer.
I am pleased to confirm that Somerset County Council funding
for the Volunteer Visiting Service, the Aids to Daily Living
Service, the Talking Book, British Wireless for the Blind Service
and the Living with Sight Loss course funding has been secured

for another year. I have to say that in these difficult financial

times it is gratifying to know that the council recognise the
value of the services that we offer.
We have decided to run the Low Vision Exhibition again this
year. Some of you may remember that we last ran the event in
2010 at the Wellsprings Centre in Taunton. This time we are
using the facilities at Junction 24 near Bridgwater. The event
which will incorporate our AGM will be held in November so
more on that in the September edition of the magazine.
I am working very closely with our neighbouring associations,
Dorset Association for the Blind and Wiltshire Sight in a joint bid
to the Thomas Pocklington Trust to provide a Sight Advisor in
each eye clinic across the three counties. There is still a way to
go with this piece of work but I will keep you informed.
We have decided to hold our annual volunteers garden party on
Friday 5th June this year to coincide with national volunteers
week. All volunteers are welcome. Your official invite is in the
back of this magazine.
Tom Winsborough
Chief Executive Officer
01823 366150
tom@somersetsight.org.uk

Farewell to Jan Arnold

On Friday 30th January we held a farewell party for Jan Arnold,
our Office Manager, who worked for Somerset Sight for 14 years.
Prior to the party we held a collection and people gave very
generously. We were able to present Jan with a matching
moonstone silver ring and necklace, a lovely bouquet of flowers,
vouchers and cash. Ian Lloyd from the Taunton craft group also
drew a fabulous caricature picture and presented it in a frame.

It was a very a special day and we joined by many people to give

her a brilliant send off and to thank her for her commitment and
hard work.
Jan was thrilled with the party. She sent us a lovely message
about it, I just want to thank you all for making last Friday
such a special and unforgettable day. I was blown away. I
honestly didn't expect anything as grand, but you pitched it just
right. The bit that will stay with me is walking up the drive and
seeing your smiling faces as you applauded me. I felt like royalty
and I was moved to tears.
We are delighted to report that Jans permanent replacement
has now joined us here at Northfield House. Her name is Hollie
Newton and she will be working Monday to Thursday. We are all
looking forward to working with Hollie and are sure that she is
going to be an asset to the charity.

Message from Bella Flood; Chair of the

Trustees
Since joining Somerset Sight I have been very impressed by the
quality of this magazine and the wide range of events and
initiatives that are included. It always reminds me just how
many services and initiatives we are involved in which are
devoted to enhancing the lives of people who have sight loss
(just two examples are the Emotional Support Service and the
new Football Club and there are many more). I am also
constantly inspired by the wonderful people who fundraise for
us, such as the runners in the Exeter Half Marathon and Josh and
George's cycling triumph which were included in the January
edition. I have noticed in the magazine there are many requests
for people to get involved in fundraising. May I make a special
plea to our supporters, their families and friends to organise an
event to raise money for Somerset Sight? There is also still a
great need for volunteers (in whatever capacity). We are trying

to reach out to younger age groups and working age people and
we will need more volunteers and funding to support this.
Please consider this and tell your friends about us too! Please
contact Becky Fry, our Development Officer, on 01823 366147 or
becky@somersetsight.org.uk if you think you can help. The
magazine also publishes details of those people who very
generously leave a gift to us in their will. Legacies are vitally
important as they enable us to continue and develop our
services. This year we will be in touch with local professionals to
publicise the need for people to remember Somerset Sight in
their will. Recently Tom and I have held several meetings with a
member of the Low Vision Support Team in Somerset's Education
Services. She has been incredibly helpful and pro-active in
supporting our efforts to reach out to more families to explain
to them what Somerset Sight can offer.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who
have given their time as volunteers or fundraisers, and to those
who donate funds to support us. You are all vital to our charity. I
look forward to meeting many more of you in the future.
With my best wishes
Bella Flood

DeafPLUS Visits
DeafPLUS will be at Somerset Sight, Northfield House, 51
Staplegrove Road, Taunton, between 10.30am and 1.00pm on
the following dates:
Friday 15th May
Friday 19th June
Friday 17th July
Friday 14th August
DeafPLUS will once again be giving advice and information on all
aspects of hearing loss as well as servicing hearing aids.
For more information please call DeafPLUS on 01225 446555.

Magazine in Other Formats

All of our magazines and leaflets are available in audio, braille
and large print format. You can also receive this magazine by
email. If you would like our communications in any other
format, please get in touch with
Hollie Newton
01823 366143
admin@somersetsight.org.uk

Technology Advice
Sessions
The technology advice sessions are still running at Northfield
House, 51 Staplegrove Road, Taunton. We have decided to alter
the name of this service from a 'drop in' as you do need to book
in advance for these sessions.
Darren Walker who is visually impaired himself explains,
Sometimes the word technology frightens people, but devices
are becoming much simpler to use, many designed especially for
blind and visually impaired people. Come along and meet
Darren who will be here to help on the last Tuesday of each
month apart from in May. Anyone with a visual impairment can
book in for a session.
The next sessions will be on
Tuesday 30th June
Tuesday 28th July
Tuesday 25th August
As usual, bookable one hour sessions will be available between
10.00am and 4.00pm. Please call to book your place.
Heidi Linegar
01823 366141
heidi@somersetsight.org.uk

Support for Tom in Taunton

Tom lives with his wife Elaine just outside Taunton. In addition
to his sight loss he has other substantial health issues. He was
referred to Somerset Sight for a volunteer visitor in July 2013.
Somerset Sight volunteer David was introduced to him within a
month. Tom and David share a history of tool making and also
come from roughly the same area in the Midlands, so they hit it
off straight away. David often returns to his old stomping
ground and is able to speak to Tom about the changes he has
noticed. Tom says that visits from David have made a big
difference to him and that he looks forward to being able to
talk, David is always cheery and after his visits I always feel
better and not only that our two little dogs love him! Tom's
wife Elaine is also present at times and they have all become
firm friends. Elaine says Tom has benefited enormously from
the companionship of another man, Tom comes out of himself
when David visits. It also means that Elaine has some support
and can get out with the dogs, do some gardening, go to the
shops or even into town as she feels totally at ease with leaving
him with David. David gets a lot out of his weekly visits to Tom,
It is very rewarding and it's given me a real awareness of sight
loss. Both Elaine and Tom would recommend a volunteer from
Somerset Sight, If you have the chance to have a volunteer,
give it a try for a few visits and you will find that you enjoy it.

Panto Magic!
We are thrilled that St James Players in Taunton chose us to
receive a proportion of the funds from their production of
Aladdin in January. They had a retiring bucket collection and
donated half of the ticket proceeds. Jenny Wakefield from the
church players said, We were delighted to support Somerset
Sight and the St. James Church Hall Appeal. This year for the
first time the pantomime was produced in the church, with the
space being to Somerset Sight. It is great pleasure to be able to

raise money for Somerset Sight, a valued and essential local

organisation.
We would like to thank all of the members of St James Players
for thinking of Somerset Sight.

Somerset Sight Volunteer Visitors are here to

help
Thanks to funding from Somerset County Council, we are able to
take on further referrals for this service. Our volunteers provide
regular companionship, help with reading or correspondence and
many other things. If you are visually impaired and feel like a
fully trained and police checked volunteer would benefit you
then please get in touch with us. Visits are usually for a couple
of hours a week or fortnight.
Anyone can access the service as if you do not meet the
eligibility requirements for the council funded service we can
support you with our private service for a small charge.
To enquire, please contact:
Gloria Williams
01823 366146
Gloria@somersetsight.org.uk

Glastonbury and
Street Talking News
Would you like to listen to the Central Somerset Gazette which
covers Glastonbury, Street, Somerton and surrounding villages?
The Glastonbury and Street Talking News has been running for 20
yearsand currently has 35 listeners.
They provide the news on cassette tape and can provide a
machine for any new listeners.
If you interested in receiving the news please contact
Mr Chris Merritt
01458 832599

Bridgwater Bowls
The Bridgwater bowlers meet weekly at Bridgwater bowls club
on Durleigh Road. In the winter they meet on a Wednesday from
midday to 2pm indoors and in the summer they meet on a
Thursday outside from 11am to 1pm.
They are a friendly club and would be pleased to welcome new
members. Please contact Eric Shakleford on 01278 456045

Guitar Sessions at
Somerset Sight
We have a lovely new volunteer who would like to teach people
how to play the guitar. His name is Nick and he would like to set
up sessions where people can bring along the music they enjoy
themselves.
Nick has an eclectic music taste and wants to encourage more
people to learn, There are quite a number of famous sight
impaired guitarists so I thought it would be a great thing to offer
people at Somerset Sight. I find people have more fun if they
can learn the songs they love.
Nick can supply the guitar in the first instance. This is a steel
string acoustic guitar which Nick finds the most versatile for
beginners.
If you are interested please contact: Somerset Sight on 01823
333818

Somerset Sight Bridge Club

There are a few people very keen to start a Bridge Club in
Taunton. Bridge is a trick taking game using a 52 card deck. It is
played by four players in two competing partnerships.
It can be an exciting game and has immense scope by virtue of
the large number of unique deals which are possible.
The game would be played with large print Braille cards so both

Braille readers and those who rely on large print can take part.
Whether you are a complete beginner or have some experience
please do get in touch with Becky Fry
becky@somersetsight.org.uk 01823 366147

New Employment Hub Sessions

Action for Blind People working in conjunction with Somerset
Sight is now offering employment hub sessions to assist those
with sight loss in the local area seeking to move into work.
The sessions provide the opportunity to work with an
Employment Coordinator in a supportive environment to gain
personalised support with a wide range of practical employment
specific tasks - the ultimate aim being to boost your confidence
and chances of success in moving into work. The types of
employment support covered at these pre-booked sessions
include: Specialist advice & practical approaches on disability
disclosure
CV writing
Cover letters
Application and interview techniques
Skills and career identification tools
Advice on practical support available in work
Job searching
Self-employment
Advice around retaining current work
This service can be accessed at no cost.
If you have sight loss and would benefit from additional
employment support and advice, get in touch today!
To find out more about this new opportunity or to check
availability and book a session time, please contact:
Action for Blind People
01392 458060

Music Appreciation Group - The Times

They Are A Changin'
The Music Appreciation Group is alive and well in South
Somerset! However, as the song says: the times they are a
changin'. Our monthly meetings have moved to 2.30pm 4.30pm
(from our traditional evening slot) and, to make travel easier,
the meetings are being held in both Crewkerne and Chard as
follows:
Fourth Thursday of each month, Crewkerne, Henhayes
Centre
Fourth Friday of each month, Chard, Snowdon House
We listen to a variety of mainly light classical music on a topical
theme (played from CDs) in a friendly setting. Tea and Biscuits
are served in the interval.
If you live in South Somerset, why not come and join us? We'd
love to share the music with you.
Contact and further information:
Liz Dunn
01460 53136

Football Club Update

There has been a good response to the new Visually Impaired
Football Club who meet at Castle Sports Centre in Taunton run
by 1610. Julie Bowker, Football Development Officer, said that
the aim of the new initiative is to make football more inclusive
to the local community. Visually impaired football is becoming
increasingly popular nationally and the Castle Sports Centre has
some great facilities where Visually Impaired players can enjoy

the sport in a relaxed atmosphere and have some fun with

friends. Depending on the response locally 1610 are aiming to
set up a VI football team which could go on to play in Somerset
FA's Ability Counts football league. This proves that disability is
no longer a bar to enjoying sport. VI football is a great team
sport new players are always welcome regardless of
experience or level of sight loss.
For more details contact
Martin Hallet
01278 734639
Martin.hallett72@sky.com
People can also contact
Castle Sports Centre
01823 322934
Julie Bowker:
jbowker@1610.org.uk

Talking Book Library

Muriel Phyllis Colbey (Vicky) aged 89 from Wellington has sent in
this feedback about our talking book service.
I have always been an avid reader and in my retirement would
read a book a day. Since being registered severely sighted in
2010 I have enjoyed listening to the talking books from the
Somerset Sight Audio Library.
I make my choice from the catalogue with the help of my
daughter and the carers. The tapes are then sent to my home.
My favourites are detective stories and murder mysteries. I
listen to one book a day so I have made good use of the library.
All the tapes and CDs are donated to the library and I am now
exploring different authors having read most of the detective
books. If like me you have time on your hands, listening to
talking books is an excellent way to while away the hours.
To access our library please call on 01823 333818

Adventure weekend in Weymouth

We have been invited by Dorset Blind Association to take part in
an adventure weekend away at Osmington Bay in Weymouth at
the end of July. Participants will be able to take part in a range
of activities including sailing, archery and abseiling. We have
secured some funding for activities so we can keep the cost
down as much as possible.
Please contact Becky Fry on 01823 366147 or
becky@somersetsight.org.uk if you are interested in attending.

The Red Hat to the USA

Harvey Godber, service user and leader of the Taunton visual
disability group, has always wanted to visit the U.S.A. and last
year his son David accompanied him on a trip of a lifetime. He
has sent this lovely account of his trip.
Our first stop was New York where we stayed at the Edison
Hotel, built in 1931. The dcorhas remained firmly Art Deco and
the plumbing was certainly not modern but it was a joy to go
back in time to find the service and atmosphere of bygone days.
We had a day visiting New York's most iconic sites including the
Statue of Liberty, the Italian quarter and a 43 second ride up to
the 70th floor of the Rockerfeller centre where we looked down
on the Empire State and saw the whole of Central Park.
Next stop was Washington D.C. where we were met by Glenn
Minney, of the Blinded Veterans Association who was very
hospitable. We were honoured to be invited to assist with the
B.V.A. wreath ceremony at National Veterans Day. The day,
which was held in the 600 acre Arlington Cemetery, was very
moving and included a speech by the Vice President Joe Biden.
It was certainly the highlight of our trip. We then flew to Ohio
where we visited the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and were
able to explore the many hangars full of WW2, cold war and

later aircraft. This trip was one of the best experiences of my

life. I am still smiling.

Disability World Bowls Championship

Sight impaired bowlers from Somerset recently travelled to New
Zealand to attend the Disability World Bowls Championships.
The group flew into Wellington on 12th February.
Eleven countries took part in the championships. The players
from Somerset each played at least 5 games. Ron Homer won a
gold medal (and only lost one game), Nancy Cheesman won
silver. After the championship the group had a tour of North
Auckland. They met with the Mauri people and visited the
Hobbiton movie set where part of The Lord of the Rings and The
Hobbit were filmed. They also visited Matamata an active
volcano. Nancy said, We had a wonderful time. It was brilliant
that the Somerset Bowlers did so well. New Zealand is a very
interesting and beautiful country. Wed like to say many thanks
to Somerset Sight for helping us with the costs of attending to
represent England and the championships.

Somerset Visually Impaired Cricket Players

selected for National Squad
Ed Hossell and Jason Aughton are the first Somerset players
selected for the national squad. They both made their England
debuts in December last year in South Africa, where England
reached the semi-finals of the Blind Cricket World Cup. Hossell
was ever present in England's six World Cup games, taking five
wickets in six games and impressing with the ball, whilst
Aughton made his debut in a friendly against Bangladesh.
Speaking about England's performance, Hossell said, Our
performance was great, especially as some of the team are new
and fairly inexperienced.

On taking his first wicket, he said, It was a great feeling,

knowing that I had contributed was good, although it was more
about good glove-work from our keeper than a good ball.
India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were the favourites. These teams
were very impressive batters. On the flip side, we did see that
they weren't invincible and they did make mistakes.
There was a fantastic amount of coverage of the World Cup,
with the English Cricket Board sending a media representative to
provide updates. Ed added, The support we had back in
England was great, a lot of people were following us to see how
we got on, it helped to motivate us knowing we had the support
of friends and family back home.

Fundraising and Publicity News

Rumwell Farm shop Charity of the Year!
We are thrilled to have been chosen as Rumwell Farm shop's
Charity of the Year. Over the course of the year they will run
fundraising and awareness events for Somerset Sight.
As part of their fundraising they will be donating 10p for every
dozen eggs and for every pack of lemon bonbons they sell.

Great West Run

All the sponsorship money has been received from the Great
West Run and an amazing 1200 was raised.
This money has been split between Somerset Sight and the
visually impaired bowling and cricket clubs.
Many thanks to everyone involved!

Masonic Donation
Many thanks to the Lodge of Unanimity and Sincerity who chose
us to benefit from a gift of 1000.

Mrs Browns birthday donation

Many thanks to Mrs Hazel Brown in Street who chose to have
donations to us instead of presents on her 90th birthday.
The donations amounted to an amazing 320.

Chaffcombe coffee morning

This year the annual coffee morning in the village raised 142.
This takes the total raised by the people of Chaffcombe to an
amazing 850 over the last 9 years. Somerset Sight are very
grateful to all those who are involved.

Musical April!
We are thrilled to have two organisations planning to run
concerts in April. The first is being held by the Watchet and
District Choral Society on Thursday 16th April. The second is an
event featuring the Avon and Somerset Constabulary Male Voice
Choir at Wellington Methodists Church on Saturday 25th April. As
these events are too close to publication date we will report
how they went in the September magazine.

Save the date!

We are pleased to announce that this year our Country House
Car Boot sale will be held on Sunday 13th September at
Yarlington House near Wincanton. We are very grateful to our
patron the Count De Salis for hosting this event again.

Stamps donation
Many thanks to Kaz Doyle from Stoke sub Hamdon who
coordinates a village used stamp collection. Over the last 3
years the village has raised 183 for Somerset Sight. If you
would like to collect stamps for Somerset Sight please get in

touch with Becky Fry, our Development Officer, on the details at

the end of this update.

Could you be a friend of Somerset Sight?

We are looking for people across the county to sign up as friends
of our wonderful charity. We need people to raise awareness of
our work in their local area, place some collection boxes and
perhaps do a bit of fundraising.

Need for collectors

We are planning on having a few more collections at
supermarkets across Somerset this year. If you could spare a
couple of hour collecting for us we would be very grateful!
Please contact Becky on the contact details at the end of the
Fundraising and Publicity News.

Trusts
Last year we applied to a number of trusts to help us with the
costs of our Hospital Information Point. We are pleased that the
Dame Violet Wills Trust, the Lynn Foundation, the Ewen Cameron
Charitable Trust and the Souter Charitable Trust gave
contributions to support this work. We have also received
further grants from the Ralph Clark Charitable Trust, Michael
and Anna Wix Charitable Trust, the Elizabeth and Prince Zaiger
Charitable Trust and the Norman Family Trust.

In Memoriam
Since December we have received donations in memory of Sue
White, Moyra Pollard, Lillian White, Mr Thow, Violet May Pile,
T R C Smith, Edith Rockett, Kenneth Douglas Nation and Mrs
Irene Hiles. All donations are greatly appreciated and we are
particularly grateful to be remembered at such a difficult time.

Legacies
As many of you know legacies do more for our charity than any
other gift. Income from legacies has helped us maintain services
and develop new ones. Without legacies we would not have our
wonderful Mobile Resource Unit and we would not have been
able to improve the facilities at Northfield House in Taunton.
This year legacies will help us to reach more people and provide
more services.
A gift to Somerset Sight will make a lasting difference to sight
impaired people right across our county and can also help to
reduce the inheritance tax burden on your family.
If you have already made a will and would like to add a bequest
to Somerset Sight, you can do so by making a codicil, without
having to revoke your existing will.
If you have any questions please contact Becky.
Becky Fry
Development Officer
01823 366147
becky@somersetsight.org.uk

How can you help?

Fundraising income is hugely important to our charity and we
are always looking for more people to help out. Here are some
simple ideas to get you started:
Organise a quiz or a darts night at your local pub or community
centre
Take on a sponsored challenge - a walk, cycle or a skydive!
Collect used stamps, inkjets or old mobile phones
Nominate us for fundraising at your work, school or club
If you can help us or would like more information about how to
organise events Becky would be thrilled to hear from you.
Contact her on 01823 366147 or becky@somersetsight.org.uk

Resource Centre Update

Emotional Support
I see a lot of people visiting our Resource Centre after they are
recently diagnosed at the eye clinic with a visual impairment.
There are others who I have known for years and come back
again and again. We offer what help we can in the way of
equipment, techniques and a listening ear. However we do
recognise there are the emotional implications for those losing
or have lost their sight whether that is recently or several years
ago. Therefore we are fortunate enough to have the experience
and expertise of Graham Glover who is an Emotional Support
Worker and a qualified Counsellor. Graham can offer one to one
sessions free of charge once a week. The amount of sessions
offered is reviewed every four weeks and decided on an
individual basis. Graham is visually impaired himself so
therefore has first-hand experience of some of the barriers and
emotional difficulties that someone with sight loss may
experience.
If you are interested in a group or one to one session with
Graham then please contact Heidi on 01823 366141.

Low Vision Aids

We have an excellent range of Low Vision Aids in our Resource
Centre. This includes handheld, stand and video magnifiers. We
also stock a number of desk and floor standing lamps with either
a daylight or LED bulb.
We appreciate not everyone can afford the cost of a brand new
product so we carry a number of second hand items too.

Mobility Aids
I was delighted with the response to my article in the last
magazine; you may recall I mentioned the yellow Visually
Impaired badge? It was so popular we've had to order more
stock! If you have not purchased one yet, you can from our
Resource Centre or our Mobile Resource Unit, costing only 4.79.
Please remember our wonderful Mobile Resource Unit which
carries similar stock to that in our Resource Centre. If there is
something specific you'd like to look at please ring the office a
day or two beforehand and we can make sure we have this on
board to demonstrate.
Dates of when the MRU is in your area can be found in the
centre pages of this magazine.
Heidi Linegar
Resource Centre Manager
01823 366141
Heidi@somersetsight.org.uk

British Wireless for the Blind Fund

The British Wireless for the Blind Fund (BWBF) provides high
quality, easy to use audio equipment which has been specially
designed and adapted for listeners living with sight loss.
All our radios are made available on free loan to blind and
visually impaired people who meet our criteria. If you don't
qualify, our radios are also available to purchase through BWBF
Direct. BWBF offers a range of sets to meet different needs,
from the simple Duet digital radio to the comprehensive
Concerto 2 and the Sonata Plus, our unique wireless internet
audio player with an audible programme guide.
The units will be delivered and demonstrated in the comfort of
your own home. Please contact your local BWBF agent for
eligibility and further information:
Gloria Williams

01823 366146
gloria@somersetsight.org.uk

Somerset Direct
Number Change
The telephone number for Somerset Direct has recently changed
to 0300 123 2224. Please note that if you are ringing on behalf
of a service user they have to give their permission for you to do
so.

Focus on Volunteering
We are introducing IT training for all volunteers who staff the
reception at Northfield House in Taunton. This means that pretty
soon everyone will be able to use Outlook Express to check and
send emails, check necessary tasks, and use the calendar to
learn the whereabouts of various staff. I know that some
volunteers see this as a challenge but I believe that if we are
going to deliver the best possible service to the public these
skills are going to be very necessary.
We are currently seeking a volunteer who has an hour or so
every weekday to spare. We are looking for someone who can
come in to Northfield House at around 4pm every working day
and, if necessary, set up meeting rooms in the correct
configuration for the following day. The second part of the role
will be to take the mail to the post office in Chip Lane at the
end of the working day. If you think that you may be interested
in this role then please get in touch for more information.
We are interested in setting up book clubs for sight impaired
people across Somerset. If you would be interested in running a
book club in a local library near you please let me know.
Tom Winsborough, CEO
tom@somersetsight.org.uk
01823 366150

Obituary Joy Jarvis MBE

Joy was past president of the ENAVHB (English National
Association of Visually Handicapped Bowlers) and regularly
worked with Tony Allcock MBE in this respect. Joy used to be the
captain of Cheltenham club with the Blind bowlers and arranged
many competitions in Spain. Joy also met many of the bowlers in
Taunton.
Joy died rather suddenly and unexpectedly in hospital on 25th
March 2015 in Spain, where she had been living for a number of
years. Those she leaves behind are in shock but are thankful
that she did not suffer and that she is off to the great bowling
green in the sky to catch up with her old friends and our dear
dad.
If you remember Joy Jarvis and have any memories to share
please pass them onto Sandra Harris on
Sandra@somersetsight.org.uk or 01823 325785 who will share
them with Joy's granddaughter Melanie Davis who volunteers for
Somerset Sight.
Sent in by Joy's family; Melanie Davis, Jacqui Davis, Patricia
Davis and Diana Jarvis.

Volunteer Profile
Irene Sharland, from Taunton, has been a volunteer for Somerset
Sight for just over 5 years.
Before joining Somerset Sight in 2010 Irene volunteered as a
driver for Children's Services at Somerset County Council for 18
years. She also helped run a day centre for adults with learning
difficulties and was heavily involved with Home Start.
Following an operation on her knee Irene felt that she could no
longer continue driving and so went hunting for another

volunteering role, I found out about Somerset Sight through the

local volunteering bureau.
I thought this was the perfect role for me as I had family
members with sight problems.
Irene helps on reception one afternoon a week answering
phones, welcoming visitors and helping with hospitality.
She also helps in our Resource Centre and with processing items
for aids for daily living. She has become an expert in packaging
white canes!
Irene loves the atmosphere at Somerset Sight's building,
Northfield House, Everyone is so friendly here. I really enjoy
being a volunteer.