London Vision is excited to be doing more work in Greenwich going forward, and working closer with groups like Blind in Greenwich (BiG), a peer support and social activity group for blind and partially sighted people and others affected by vision loss, based in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. BiG came to London Vision’s Information Day in April – read on to learn more:
Blind in Greenwich
Blind in Greenwich (BiG) saw the London Vision Information Day on April 13th as an opportunity to increase our membership and provide assistance and peer support to more blind and partially sighted Greenwich residents. We are only a small voluntary organisation and find it difficult to get information about who we are and what we do to the people who might need it. We had been talking about getting some flyers to help with recruitment for a while, and this was the ideal opportunity to use them.
Four of our committee members, Wayne Holmes, Sue Mitchell, Sajida Shah and me, Steven Reed arrived armed with our new flyers, willing to talk to the borough’s visually impaired community. There was a good turnout and for the first couple of hours the room was busy, buzzing with activity. We did a lot of talking and I’m surprised we didn’t leave hoarse, but we had a good time and picked up some potential new members.
Making contacts in the borough
I had a fantastic conversation with Peta Cubberley, VCS Stakeholder Relationship Officer for the borough. She provided me with numerous contacts within the council and around the borough who we may be able to work with. As a small voluntary organisation, I’m sure these contacts will prove invaluable. To be honest, I didn’t see this as a networking event in this way however, Peta overwhelmed me with emails after the event, which I am truly grateful for.
It was also great to see some of our current members there. Some enjoyed learning about the tech that Optelec and Sight and Sound Technology had to offer, whereas others had a good chat with the Eye Clinic Liaison Officer, Kerry about what she does and the services that RNIB provides. We also had a good chat with the London Vision team about their plans for helping the visually impaired of Greenwich. I believe the biggest thing that came out of these discussions was how London Vision and BiG can work together to improve the provision of services for Greenwich’s VIPs.
Steven Reed, Blind in Greenwich
