Sight Concern - Worcestershire

Offering support and understanding

Sight Concern Worcestershire is an independent county-wide charity providing support, information and services to people affected by sight loss and we are the only charity dedicated to improving the lives of people with sight loss across Worcestershire.

Our Vision is a world where blind and partially sighted people have the confidence to reach their full potential and the opportunity to play an active role in society.

Our Mission is to support blind and partially sighted people to lead independent and fulfilling lives.

We have been successfully supporting people with sight loss for over 130 years.

How We Can Help

We understand that a diagnosis of sight loss can be frightening, and many people are left wondering how they are going to manage.

We are here to support you to adapt to your sight loss and lead an independent life and fulfilling life. We also support people have been visually impaired for many years who require support with certain tasks or when they face life changes.

Expert Advice and Support

Our team of local Advice & Support Officers, who operate from Malvern, Kidderminster, Bromsgrove, Redditch, Evesham and Worcester offer a comprehensive information and advice service relating to all aspects of living with sight loss. They can signpost and refer you to our range of services and other local and national services available.

The team can also work with you and your family at home, on a short-term basis with emotional and practical support to maintain your independence at home and play an active role in their local community.

We also have regular Peer Support Groups around the county – you are welcome to come along to meet and socialise with other people who are affected by sight loss. Each group is run by an experienced Advice & Support Officer, who supported by trained volunteers, are there to welcome and support you.

Independent Living and Keeping Active

Low Vision Clinics. We offer specialist sight tests with experiencedoptometrists who can advise on magnifiers and lighting. Magnifiers are prescribed and loaned free of charge.

Information Technology Events. We regularly host exhibitions of aids and equipment designed to help people with sight loss to live independently, for example, handheld and desktop video magnifiers, specialised computer software, audio books etc.

British Wireless for the Blind Fund - As local agents for BWFB, subject to certain criteria, we can supply you with specially adapted audio equipment on a free loan basis, which will enable you to listen to your favourite radio station or audio books, with ease.

DigitalEyes – We can support you with any queries or problems that you have relating to Digital Technology. Either by telephone or at one to one sessions, we can help you to explore the accessibility features on your iPad or help you to find out more about useful apps or with any other questions that you may have. We can help to make technology work for you!

Art and Craft Groups - Clients meet weekly at the Bradbury Centre to learn new skills and get creative. There is a small charge for this activity.

Our Befriending Service

Our befrienders are volunteers who provide support to people with sight loss to enable them to continue doing both what they need to and what they love. This is usually through face-to-face visits. What you do with a befriender depends entirely on what you feel you need – it can be anything from help with reading your post or getting out and about with confidence again, to supporting you with a hobby or leisure activity such as golf or theatre trips! Typically, our befrienders and befriendees meet for a couple of hours once a week or fortnight but again this is up to you.

We also have befrienders who support people over the phone on a short-term basis. Usually, these volunteers have experienced sight loss themselves. They are there to offer a listening ear and share their experiences, whether to offer encouragement if you are trying to get back into work, or to suggest useful tips and strategies if you have been recently diagnosed with an eye condition and are adapting to living with sight loss.

We match people with befrienders to provide companionship and support in overcoming some of the challenges of sight loss. Befrienders cannot provide services such as personal care, regular gardening or cleaning.

All our befrienders go through our induction process before being matched with a befriendee. We take references and complete an enhanced DBS check (i.e. a criminal record check). They then attend our induction and Sight Loss Awareness course to help them to understand different sight problems, ways in which they can help and how to guide someone.

Volunteering

We are always looking for more volunteers to support others in their local community and we have a waiting list with a wide variety of requests from all around the county. To find out what you could do to help someone in your area, or to hear about our other volunteer roles, just call our Volunteering Team to find out more.

Contact us

Please get in touch with us if you would like more information on any of the services we offer, you are interested in getting involved with the charity, or simply to give us some feedback, just call 01905 723245 or email info@sightconcern.co.uk

Sight Concern Worcestershire, The Bradbury Centre, 2 Sansome Walk, Worcester, WR1 1LH