Essex Blind Charity

SpotlightOctober/November 2020

ISSUE 98

Contents:

Editorial page 3

Community Support Team page 4

Spotlight On page 5

Events page 9

Quiz page 10

Entertainment page 12

Book Review page 12

Answers to Quiz page 14

Equipment Page 15

Healthwatch Essex Page 15

Please send your articles for inclusion in Spotlight to:

The EditorEssex Sight40 Osborne StreetColchesterCO2 7DB01206 548196Email: services@essexsight.org.uk

Items for the next issue should reach the Editor by November 4th

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The Editor writes:

Welcome to the October/November edition of Spotlight. I hope you are all keeping well in these difficult times and remember that the team are here to help you. The first piece of good news we have had in some time is that Pat Wilson and the team at Chelmsford and District Talking News are now back up and running again, which means Spotlight is once again available on USB stick. However due to social distancing and the size of the new studio, cassette recordings can no longer be made.

During lockdown we were very fortunate to receive a generous donation of audio books on both cassette and CD, so if you would like any, just get in touch and we will post them out to you.

In this issue is news on government schemes that will impact on the County and details of how you can give your views as part of the consultation. Many thanks to the contributors once again, please keep them coming! We hope you will find the articles informative and of interest. Please feel free to share Spotlight with other visually impaired people and their carers. Everyone who is newly registered in Essex will receive a copy of Spotlight and they can request their own copy in large print format, memory stick or by email. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide copies in Braille or on cassette.

I hope you will all continue to send your contributions, as your stories and experiences make Spotlight of interest to everyone. You can email articles to services@essexsight.org.uk

Editor

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Community Support Team by Jonathan Dixon

As I write this, we are just over a month into partially resuming our face to face services. As expected, it has been a slow burner, with appointments in the Colchester Sight Centre and home doorstep visits gradually increasing. With a national pandemic still at large, people may be cautious about going out, which we fully understand. That is why we take full precautions when arranging appointments either on your doorstep or in our Sight Centre. If you want to visit us or book a home doorstep visit, here are the details:

Pre-booked appointments (minimum 48 hours notice) in Colchester or home doorstep visits can be made by calling 01206 548196. Appointments will be available from Monday to Friday 10am - 4pm and Saturday 10am - 12pm.

As the hosts of our pop up centres remain closed to outside groups, we are looking into alternatives to ensure we can continue to meet your needs. For the latest updates on our services give us a ring or check our facebook or twitter accounts.

Pat Hunt (by Carol Massey)

It is with sadness that we report the passing of our good friend and long-serving volunteer Pat Hunt in July of this year, following a short illness.

Many of you will have met Pat in Chelmsford Library, as she was one of the original volunteers when we first started our pop-up Sight Centre there back in November 2005. Others will know her from her role as Chairman of the Chelmsford Macular Society, a position she held for many years.

Pat was key in promoting the new sight centre, as many of our clients came to us from the Macular Group. Pat was a great volunteer and it was always a pleasure to work alongside her. She was knowledgeable and friendly and always willing to go the extra mile to help someone. Her own experience of visual impairment combined with a positive attitude meant

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that Pat was able to understand issues and empathise with the clients we saw.Fifteen years on and while we are currently unable to hold our weekly sessions in Chelmsford Library due to COVID-19, we will be back as soon as we are able, but we will miss our friend.

Pat’s (socially distanced) funeral was held on 6th August at St John’s Church, Moulsham Street and a good number of our volunteers and myself were present to say farewell. Pat always wanted to help people and the fact she left the charity her video magnifier to lend out to people unable to afford one, it is a fine and fitting tribute to the kind and generous person she was.

Spotlight On

National Campaigns

#StreetsForAllSight Loss Councils built environment campaignThomas Pocklington Trust launched in September an 18-month built

environment campaign to influence the development of accessible

street environments so that blind and partially sighted people can

independently and safely enjoy and use public spaces in the same

way as every other pedestrian.

Issues have been exacerbated by new street design in response to

COVID-19 in addition to other local authority initiatives such as

pavement parking/blockages, street furniture and cafes, shared

space, e-scooters and pop up cycle paths. These all pose a real

threat to the independence and confidence of blind and partially

sighted people who no longer feel they can safely and consistently

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use pavements for their intended purpose.

Essex County Council have launched their own Active Travel Plan as

part of the Government’s Covid 19 Emergency Active Travel funding.

The County Council believe that if more people were to walk and

cycle for short trips in our towns, it would relieve congestion, reduce

air pollution and increase health and wellbeing.

Phase One of the programme, created the current measures

designed to make city/town centre public spaces safer for people

during the Covid-19 crisis. Called ‘Safer, Greener, Healthier’, the aim

is to provide bigger, safer spaces in key locations for city centre

shoppers, residents, workers and visitors to social distance.

They have now submitted an ambitious Phase Two bid to the

Emergency Active Travel Fund which is in line with the latest thinking

from Government which asks Local Authorities to:

Create a road environment that is safer and provides greater

capacity for both cyclists and pedestrians

Help to relieve short-term overcrowding and reduced capacity on

public transport

Deliver long-term benefits for public health and environmental

benefits

They believe these proposals will transform key routes across Essex

and represent the start of a long term County plan to enable more

walking and cycling for local trips, by providing  high quality walking

and cycling environments, where people feel safe and relaxed.  The

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schemes will provide more space for people to get their minimum

daily exercise, as they are going about their business, while enjoying

every-day walking and cycling. Our concern is that the layout of many

Essex towns may create areas where shared cycle/pedestrian space

takes place, which is something that should be avoided. Details of the

scheme can be found on the Essex County Council website.

https://www.essexhighways.org/getting-around/safer-greener-

healthier.aspx

If you want to give feedback, contact your County Councillor or email

SGH.Routes@essex.gov.uk

E-scooters in Essex

The government has taken the decision to roll out the e-scooter

programme to include all cities and towns that wish to provide a

service in their area. Essex County is one of those areas and whilst

the e scooters have to travel on roads and not pavements, we have

spoken to two of the bidding companies and asked them to consider

some form of noise generation to help make them more identifiable to

VI people. 

Study into the lives of blind and partially sighted peopleRNIB, Guide Dogs and Thomas Pocklington Trust are jointly carrying

out an important piece of research to uncover the realities of life for

blind and partially sighted people in the UK today. This research will

be used to help us deliver better services and work jointly to make a

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positive difference to the lives of blind and partially sighted people.

You can complete the survey on line at https://visionary.org.uk/take-

part-in-a-vital-study-into-the-lives-of-blind-and-partially-sighted-

people/ or contact 020 8090 9264

Department for Transport  launch consultation on options to tackle antisocial pavement parking

Parking on pavements disproportionately affects people with visual or

mobility impairments. More than 95% of wheelchair users and people

with visual impairments say they had problems with vehicles parked

on pavements. Three options are proposed in the consultation

launched this week: 

Improving the traffic regulation order process to make it easier

for councils to prohibit pavement parking in their areas

Giving councils powers to fine drivers who park on paths, and;

A London-style nationwide ban on pavement parking

The consultation will run until the 22nd November - you can find more

details online at

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/managing-pavement-

parking/pavement-parking-options-for-change.

Please share this widely to encourage as many visually impaired

people and their families/carers as possible to respond to the

consultation.

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Events

Report on Virtual Mersea Island Festival 2020 (MIFFED) by Graham Stearn

Although Mersea Island Festival was not able to take place this year we still managed to have a bit of festival fun throughout the week that festival would have taken place.

At a normal Mersea Island Festival week we would all be getting together for a great week of fun outdoor activities from climbing, zip wire, art tent, music workshops and much more.

As this wasn’t possible this year, some of the festival volunteers put on a virtual festival making use of Zoom and YouTube. Each day different activities took place including art and craft have a go idea for people who enjoyed the Art Tent at camp to get creative at home.Laughing Yoga was another great success activity with several people attending the session on zoom and the wonderful Simon did some simple breathing exercises trying hard not to make people laugh although we all ended up laughing and having fun.

Another great popular festival activity is Balloon modelling with Sally. This was another great zoom meeting, virtually attended by festival goers to see what great models Sally could create out of balloons. We were asked what we wanted sally to make and each model she made we had to give a name to.

Each morning to get people motivated there was options of Mediation session available to watch on YouTube to get your day started as well as Aerobics on zoom for people to have a morning workout.In the evenings lots of campers connected to the virtual Discos on zoom and had a great night dancing around at home to some great festival disco classics and even on the Wednesday night they streamed my radio show on Worlds Awakening Radio where I featured lots of festival

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favourites going through all different themes that we have had at previous festivals.

The camp concert was another great success with campers sending in short videos of themselves sings, dancing, telling jokes, reading poetry and more. This just shows how popular camp concert night is during festival.

For the final night of Virtual Mersea Island Festival was the usual fancy dress night where campers would normally dress up and enjoy the last night getting into costumes that fit around the chosen theme for the year. As there was no theme, people dressed up in previous years festival costumes picking out their all-time favourite costume. I decided to put on my costume from musical year where I dressed up as Bert from Mary Poppins in the jolly holiday costume with the red and white striped jacket, hat and trousers. This was a great night, and everyone enjoyed the virtual fun of MIFFED 2020. Bring on an even bigger better Mersea Island Festival for 2021.Graham

Quiz

Food and drink quiz

1. What is chorizo?

2. What type of food is a yam?

3. A Bloody Mary is traditionally served with which crunchy garnish?

4. Which country does parmesan cheese originate from?

5. Azuki, Mung and Lima are all types of what?

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6. Which food beginning with the letter 'C' is a European dish consisting of squid?

7. Spring Onions are known by what other name?

8. Chestnut, Morel, and Trumpet, are all types of which vegetable?

9. Which ingredient is used to line the rim of a glass of Margarita?

10. True or False: John Dory is a variety of apple?

11. True or False: Okra is referred to as lady’s fingers?

12. What type of salad typically consists of celery, apple, and walnuts?

13. What colour is the spice Turmeric?

14. Which spice comes from the Crocus flower?

15. What type of shellfish are Blue, Coconut and King?

16. What is Kirsch?

17. Which chocolate-based pie is named after an American State?

18. Rennet is used in curdling milk to produce which food product?

19. Which herb is used to make pesto?

20. Navel, Valencia, and Blood are types of which fruit?

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Entertainment

Vocal Eyes

Vocal Eyes allow you to experience art and culture through audio description. Bringing theatre, museums, galleries and heritage sites to life for blind and partially sighted people.

Check out their website for more details and their weekly selection of accessible cultural experiences https://vocaleyes.co.uk/

Book Review

Book Review of Amanda Owen’s “The Yorkshire Shepherdess” Trilogy

by J M Wiggins

If you are a fan of the James Herriot Series of books or you enjoy books and TV shows about animals, then I highly recommend this trilogy of books by Amanda Owen. They are about living and working on one of the most remote hill farms in the Yorkshire Dales, along with her Husband Clive, their 9 children and a thousand sheep.

If her name sounds familiar, then you may have seen the family featured in ITV’s “The Dales” or more recently on their own Chanel 5 series “Our Yorkshire Farm”. The Trilogy ideally should be read in order of publication, as Amanda’s story runs chronologically from her childhood through to 2018:-

1. The Yorkshire Shepherdess (2014)

2. A Year in the Life of the Yorkshire Shepherdess (2016)

3. The Adventures of the Yorkshire Shepherdess (2019)

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Amanda’s Story is told with warmth, humour and an eagerness to impart her knowledge and love for the Yorkshire Dales and her family’s remarkable life there. She tells of her conventional 1980s childhood in Huddersfield, far removed from the wilds of the Yorkshire moors. The James Herriot books inspired Amanda to swap the city streets for life amongst the sheep. Then a chance meeting with Clive, a bachelor farmer 20 years her senior changed her life again, sending Amanda to Ravenseat Farm one of the most remote farms in Yorkshire.

There she raised her 9 children and she tells their story of a remarkable childhood on a farm steeped in history with a way of life that hasn’t changed much in hundreds of years. Winters are harsh and isolating. The farm can be cut off by deep snowdrifts for weeks at a time. When the power and water can fail for days at a time.

The Frenzy of lambing time in the spring through to Hot Dry Summer days where it’s a race against time to gather in as much hay as possible before it rains. I almost cried as I read about the devastation that the 2001 Foot and Mouth crisis brought to the farm and laughed when Clive almost got arrested whilst stalking a sheep worrying dog in the middle of the night.

I definitely want to read more about this amazing family and their bygone way of life and hope there will be more books in the future.

At the time or writing all 3 books are available on Kindle and Audible and only the second book “A Year in the Life of the Yorkshire Shepherdess” is available on Calibre.

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Answers to quiz

1. Spicy Spanish sausage

2. A tuber, of which a sweet potato is a common variety

3. Celery

4. Italy

5. Beans

6. Calamari

7. Scallion

8. Mushrooms

9. Salt

10. FALSE

11. TRUE

12. A Waldorf salad

13. Yellow

14. Saffron

15. Crab

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16. A colourless brandy

17. Mississippi Mud Pie

18. Cheese

19. Basil

20. Orange

Equipment

We have been contacted by many of the equipment suppliers to ask us to let you know that they are not only back up and running, but also offering home visits for equipment demonstrations. If you are looking for new equipment and want a demo, contact your preferred supplier or ask us and we can help you contact them.

Healthwatch Essex

Healthwatch Essex want to hear from people who have had experiences of dentistry or stroke services in the last 12-18 months. They want to collect individuals, carers and families’ stories and experiences to share with local service providers. This will highlight any issues, share good practice and help to bring about positive change. Call 0300 500 1895 or email info@healthwatchessex.org.uk

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Contact details

Helpline and office 01206 548196(Jonathan Dixon, Carol Massey, Christine Pratt, Denise Sanders and Steve Massey)

Eye Clinic Liaison Officers 01206 548196Christine & Denise (Colchester + Tendring hospitals)

Read House 01255 673654(Janet Plant, General Manager, Tina Cox, Admin Assistant) Read House is the residential care home run by Essex Blind Charity in Frinton on Sea. The home specialises in the care of elderly people with sight problems. We offer permanent and respite care (short breaks) by staff who have all been trained in visual awareness. The Home is situated on the seafront at Frinton on Sea, a short distance from the town Centre with its friendly local shops.

If you would like to find out more about Read House, receive an Information Pack or arrange to be shown around, please contact Janet or Tina.

How you can support us

Essex Blind Charity produces and distributes Spotlight free of charge. However, donations in time or money are always welcome. If you are a UK taxpayer please consider filling in our gift aid form so we can claim back the tax paid on your donation, thereby allowing us to make even better use of your donation.

If you are writing or redrafting your will please consider leaving us a gift. Your support will enable us to continue to provide and develop the services we provide for people with sight loss throughout Essex. Thank you.

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Gift Aid Declaration

On behalf of Essex Blind CharityRegistered Charity No. 1103732

The Gift Aid Scheme enables charities to make more of your donation by reclaiming the tax you have already paid. In order for us to make this claim on your donation(s) please complete this form and return it as soon as possible

Thank you!

Please treat the enclosed gift of £…...............as a Gift Aid donation.

I confirm that I have paid or will pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax for the current tax year (6 April to 5 April) that is at least equal to the amount of tax that all charities and Community Amateur Sports Clubs that I donate to will reclaim on my gifts for the current tax year. I understand that other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify. I understand the charity will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I have given.

Title……Forename(s)…………………………Surname………………..........

Address…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……………………………………………………………………………………………..…………....................................................................Post Code………………………………..

I would like Essex Blind Charity to treat all donations I have made since 1 July 2012 as Gift Aid donations until I notify them otherwise.

Signature……………………………………… Date.................................

Please return your completed form to:Essex Blind Charity

Read House, 23 The Esplanade18

Frinton on Sea, Essex CO13 9AU.

Are you on our mailing list?

If you are not already on our mailing list for ‘Spotlight’ and would like to receive a regular copy, please complete the form below and return it to Carol Massey at Essex Sight, 40 Osborne Street, Colchester CO2 7DB

Name…………………………………………………………………..

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If you would prefer us not to do so, please tick here…………………

We will not pass your details to anyone else without your permission.

You may request us to remove your details from our database at any time.

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Useful Telephone Numbers

Colchester Eye Clinic contact numbers

To book or change a NEW appointment only01206 286870 / 286871 / 286872

To enquire about or change a date for SURGERY only01206 286874 / 286875

To book or change a FOLLOW UP appointment only01206 286860 – Mr Sheldrick and Mr Mukherjee01206 286863 – Mr Patel and Mr Bansal01206 286856 – Mr Dimitriou 01206 286769 – Mrs Shenoy

For any enquiry relating to Secondary Optometry01206 286868

For any enquiry relating to Orthoptics01206 286866

For the EMERGENCY EYE CLINIC only01206 286882 – we do not accept self-referrals unless the patient is already under our care or has a pink card for the same condition.

If anyone would like to contact the department by email the address is chu-ftr.ophthalmologydepartment@nhs.net

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Essex Sight Centres

BrentwoodBrentwood Community HospitalCrescent DriveShenfield CM15 8DR(Temporarily Closed)

Colchester 40 Osborne Street ColchesterCO2 7DBOpen Mon - Fri 10 am to 4 pm, Saturday 10 – 12pm

Clacton-on-SeaCADOWsOld RoadClacton on Sea CO15 1HX(Temporarily Closed)

MaldonMaldon Library, Carmelite HouseWhite Horse LaneMaldon CM9 5FW(Temporarily Closed)

ChelmsfordChelmsford LibraryMarket RoadChelmsford CM1 1LH(Temporarily Closed)

For more information contact Essex Sight Office on 01206 548196.Email: services@essexsight.co.uk

For information about permanent or respite residential care, contact:General Manager at Read House, Janet Plant: on 01255 673654Email: janet@essexblind.co.uk

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