Background

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Sight Concern Bedfordshire is the county's leading service-providing voluntary organisation for blind and partially sighted people and operates from offices in Luton and Bedford. Sight Concern Bedfordshire is a new charity, registered in November 1999, which resulted from the amalgamation of three charities, Enterprises By the Blind, North Bedfordshire Society for the Blind and South Bedfordshire Society for the Welfare of the Blind, which together had been providing services to blind and partially sighted people in Bedfordshire for over 160 years. Committees of these charities recognised the difficulties of services being fragmented within the county, of operating with very limited resources and having triplicate administration. Detailed and methodical work over the last four years resulted in the Charity Commission granting full charitable status to Sight Concern Bedfordshire, which operates under a Constitution permitting it to serve the areas of Luton and Bedfordshire.

The Need

In Bedfordshire and the Unitary Authority of Luton there is an estimated population of 10,000 people with severe and permanent sight loss yet local official figures only have 3,500 people registered as blind or partially sighted. Sight Concern Bedfordshire aims to extend its reach to benefit all with severe sight loss and concentrate in particular on:

Emotional support, care and daily living needs
Getting around the home and outdoor travel (orientation and mobility)
The isolation of blind people
Poverty - too many visually impaired people live on incomes far below their statutory entitlement Sight Concern Bedfordshire will work with voluntary organisations, statutory agencies and the private sector to address these fundamental needs and towards helping blind and partially sighted people to achieve independence. Sight Concern Bedfordshire Strategic Plan is available on request from either the Luton or Bedford Office. In summary the Plan is to expand and improve the quality of existing services and to develop and introduce new services, viz.
Home Visiting - a service to address people's isolation and need for companionship and practical help with, say, shopping, reading mail and writing letters
Benefits Advice - addressing poverty by offering information, advice and help through trained volunteers to complete application forms for benefits
Leisure Activities - bowls, audio-described theatre performances, social clubs. Part of Sight Concern Bedfordshire's Leisure programme is to enhance self-confidence and experience with the aim of enabling blind and partially sighted people to take full advantage of existing community facilities. The programme will be extended to keep fit and art and craft.
Talking Newspaper Service - addressing the social isolation of seriously sight-impaired people the Talking Newspaper Service is offered in Luton, Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard. Developments of this Service will address the problem blind and partially sighted people have in accessing local authority and other publications - Sight Concern Bedfordshire will campaign for more material to be available in braille and on tape or computer disk.
Hospital Information Service - offering non-medical information to people at the earliest possible moment so they know of the range of support available to assist them to cope with the emotional and other effects of severe and permanent sight loss.
Low Vision Clinic and Equipment - helping people maximise independence through the use of magnifiers, lighting and other devices.

Volunteering

Sight Concern Bedfordshire is indebted to all the volunteers for making such a smooth transition from their respective charities over to the new organisation. All the services, development and expansion planned are dependent on the commitment of volunteers. Sight Concern Bedfordshire is itself committed to supporting and training volunteers. Information about volunteering opportunities, policies and training support is available from Sight Concern Bedfordshire offices. Sight Concern Bedfordshire's commitment to improving service quality and extending its reach through direct and indirect services brings into focus plans and priorities for other existing services to ensure:-

Information always being accurate and accessible; and available in appropriate formats - braille, audiotape, large print and computer disk.
The regular publication of News & Views, Sight Concern Bedfordshire's newsletter conveying useful information to keep people up-to-date with the organisation's activities, services and community events.
The Resource Centre in Luton and in Bedford being well stocked with a range of daily living and high-tech equipment on open display for customers to touch, test out, buy or order for direct delivery to their home.
The ability to refer customers to other services such as Rehabilitation Low Vision or special education services.
Campaigning on a variety of local and national issues to promote independence.
Being the main provider of Awareness Training for the commercial, voluntary, statutory and not-for-profit sectors in Luton and Bedfordshire.
Arrangements are made for training courses for bind people and their carers regarding services available to help, the use of daily living equipment and the full range of services offered by Sight Concern Bedfordshire.
Resource Centres are open between 9.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m. each weekday.
Sight Concern Bedfordshire will rely on legacies, generous donations from Luton and Bedfordshire's public, the goodwill and community support provided by the areas commerce and statutory income earned from partnerships with health and local authorities.

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