Donations made in tribute to Vista fund-raiser June
FOR more than a quarter of a century June McNeelance was one of sight-loss charity Vista’s biggest supporters – and she even came up with the name.
June, who has died, aged 85, raised about £30,000 for the Leicestershire charity over the past three decades.
She also spent much of her retirement volunteering to help the charity’s clients and raising awareness about the issues facing partially-sighted people.
The charity, which has been around for about 160 years, used to be known as The Royal Leicester, Rutland and Wycliffe Society for the Blind. It held a competition for suggestions of a new name in about 2002.
June thought of Vista – the Italian word for sight – and won the competition.
June, who lived in Rothley and previously worked as the deputy head at St Paul’s School, in the village, spent much of her retirement helping the charity, which runs residential homes, rehabilitation services, social groups and other services.
She was among the volunteers who would record themselves reading newspapers to help partiallysighted and blind people keep up with the issues.
June also went to many schools across the county talking to youngsters about the work Vista does and raising cash.
After her death earlier this year, June’s family asked for donations to Vista in her memory, rather than people sending flowers, and they have set up a donation page online.
The charity said: “June had volunteered with Vista since 1995 and even came up with the name ‘Vista’ when she won a competition to name the charity.
“Throughout June’s work with Vista, she recorded the talking newspapers which enable people with sight loss to keep in touch with what’s happening in their community.
“June continued her fantastic work raising money for Vista throughout the years, raising an incredible £30,000 towards Vista’s mobile support service bus, which goes into communities to raise the awareness of sight-loss conditions across Leicestershire and Rutland.
“To honour their mum’s memory, the family are asking people to donate to the Just Giving page they have set up in her.” More than £550 has been raised so far in memory of June, who succumbed to cancer after surviving Covid19.