Charity hailed as ‘visionary’
A FIFE charity has scooped a national award for its work to support people with sight loss throughout the area.
Seescape, formerly Fife Society for the Blind, won the Community Award at the Visionary Conference in Birmingham last month.
Sponsored by Specsavers, the UK-wide awards ceremony recognised outstanding achievements in the sight-loss sector and in supporting the local community.
Seescape was the only organisation in Scotland to receive an award, and the first Scottish charity to win in several years.
Judges praised the charity for its use of local expertise, voices and contacts throughout Fife to bring about positive change, including working in partnership with local organisations, such as the NHS, to improve eye health, supporting people with sight loss to improve their community connections and wellbeing and helping people access assistive technology.
Former prime minister Gordon Brown, Seescape’s honorary president, said the charity makes a “profound difference” to many lives.
“I’m now delighted their pioneering work has been acknowledged across the UK with this award and that Seescape is now recognised as a leader across the UK in support for those experiencing sight loss,” he said.
“In particular, I would like to pay tribute to the Sight Support and Accessible Technology teams who were singled out for mention for their ground-breaking contribution to supporting individuals with the most up-to-date technological supports and reading materials.
“I have supported
Seescape for many years and have seen first-hand the amazing work it does throughout Fife. I wish the Seescape staff well in all they do in the years ahead.”
Lesley Carcary, chief executive of Seescape, added: “We are incredibly proud to be recognised with this award and grateful to all colleagues for their daily work to support people with sight loss in Fife.
“We pride ourselves on our partnership working, which means we can reach more people and improve lives.”