Lottery supports services for vision impaired in lockdown
A CHARITY helping sightimpaired people across the county has won a grant from the National Lottery.
Berkshire Vision has received £15,000 to support its Covid-19 support drive Connect 2020.
The charity – established in 1910 – offers a range of services relating to eyesight and its loss.
Connect 2020 has helped elderly and vulnerable people stay connected with their families and communities throughout the lockdown period.
The grant has supported the volunteers’ door-to-door minibus service, calling in on Berkshire Vision members, monitoring risks and ensuring their essential needs are met.
Berkshire Vision chief executive Laura Mitchell said: “The National Lottery funding has been vital for enabling us to support our blind and partiallysighted members through this difficult time by rapidly adapting our services to meet their changing needs in a very different way.”
National Lottery Community Fund head of funding for the South of England Helen Bushell said: “Groups such as Berkshire Vision are making an amazing contribution to the communitylevel response.
“We’re incredibly grateful for their dedication and the hard work of thousands of projects across the UK – we’re humbled by their efforts and delighted that our funding is able to help.”
Last month, Berkshire Vision volunteers had made 4,200 phone calls to its clients since the lockdown began and 92 per cent of recipients reported that the calls had had a positive impact on their wellbeing.
For more information on the charity and its services, visit http://berkshirevision.org.uk