Charity has a new vision – and new name
A charity that operates two facilities in Paisley has been rebranded as part of its mission to support more people with sight loss.
Someone in Scotland starts to lose their sight every hour – including an increasing number of people in Renfrewshire.
There are currently almost 6,000 people in Paisley and it surrounding towns and villages living with sight loss.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon officially unveiled the new name of Royal Blind, which is now called Sight Scotland, and its sister charity Scottish War Blinded, now known as Sight Scotland Veterans.
The charities run the Hawkhead Centre for veterans with sight loss and Jenny’s Well care home, which are both based in Paisley.
Sight Scotland Veterans also provides outreach support to veterans in Renfrewshire.
Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans have today published new research, which found that two thirds felt that their sight loss had made lockdown a more difficult experience.
Dave Phillips, from Paisley, is a Royal Air Force veteran whose Armed Forces career was ended by a diagnosis of sight condition Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP).
Dave, who receives support from Sight Scotland Veteran, said: “It’s vital for people with sight loss to have support through charities like Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans and I also think the demographic will start to include a younger, more working age clientele that are going to need a great deal of help post covid.
“The help I’ve received has been invaluable. “Sight Scotland Veterans has given me practical aid with equipment, like magnifiers, and liaised with my work so I could have accessible software on my PC.
“Without it, I’d struggle to hold down my job. “They also provide emotional support whenever I need it through the lovely outreach team.
“Without their support, I’d definitely struggle to work and my life would be poorer if I didn’t know they were there as a kind of safety net.
“Luckily, I have a lovely wife and have worked from home for the last eight years, so the lockdown experience has not been too bad for me.
“Through lockdown, I was under threat of redundancy and it was a comfort knowing there were people through the charity I could talk to.”
Dave added: “I definitely feel there needs to be more public awareness about the challenges lockdown and social distancing pose to people with a visual impairment.”
Paisley MSP George Adam praised the charity for its work.
He said: “Both the Hawkhead Centre and Jenny’s Well are invaluable to our town and, as Paisley’s MSP – and a born and bred Paisley boy myself – I am delighted that these two amazing institutions call our town home.
“Jenny’s Well is only one of two purposebuilt facilities for older people with sight loss in Scotland and, having visited the home many times myself, I know first-hand the positive impact specialist care has on the residents and their families.
“Equally, the Hawkhead Centre for our veterans is another fabulous facility helping veterans with sight loss regain or maintain their confidence and independence, alongside providing a wonderful support network and local community among attendees.
“I love the new names being launched in honour of World Sight Day and think it is vital that we continue to support the great work of Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans who do so much for those with sight loss across the country.”
Mark O’Donnell, chief executive of Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans, added: “For over 200 years, our charities have worked to support people with visual impairment of every age.
“We are excited to be launching our new charity names and vision so that we can play our part in supporting even more people living with sight loss in Scotland.”