LINCOLN & LINDSEY
BLIND SOCIETY
Registered Charity No :1132353
A registered charitable company limited by guarantee. Registered in England and Wales No: 6972185
Serving visually impaired people since 1921
Your family, Your friends,
Our clients
HISTORY
On the 6th December 1921, the Lindsey Blind Society was born when a committee from Lindsey County Council made a decision to appoint a home teacher. That pioneer home teacher was Miss Freshney, from the small village of Saltfleet, near Louth and she devoted her time and effort to assisting blind people in becoming as self reliant and as independent as possible.
Following the birth of our Society there was soon an expansion of the service into a home workers scheme, within which training and assistance was provided for people across a wide range of activities. Amongst others, the Secretary of the Society in those early years, Rev Cecil E Bolam worked long and hard to establish and further the work of the Society.
In 1932 the Society reported on the work of five boot repairers, eight machine knitters, three basket makers as well as a number of rush and cane chair repairers. In the same year we supported a trained brush maker in setting up a small workshop in Spilsby. Pig and poultry keeping were eventually added to the growing list of activities.
Workshops were opened at Scunthorpe in 1960, which ran for over 20 years until they were taken over by social services, to be used for disabled people in general.
For many years the Society was responsible for a residential care home for blind people in Louth, called The Sycamores.
One current link with the Society’s past is our President, Canon John Hanson of Woodall Spa who has been a member of the Executive Committee for over 50 years, during which time he served as Chairman for 21years.
The Society has been most successful in its main aims of enabling people with sight loss to achieve a better quality of life, both through our home visiting service and by the running of social and therapeutic sessions via our Centres.
On the 1st October 2007 the Society merged with Lincoln Blind Society and became the Lincoln & Lindsey Blind Society, providing our clients with over 150 years of joint experience.
MEET OUR DIRECTORS
Chairman
Miss S J Morris
Vice Chairman
Mr S StQuintin
Finance Director
Mr P Brittle
Elected Members
Mr G M Cooper
Mr A T G Turnbull
Mrs N L Bailey
Mrs B Keyte
Mr D Hodgson
Mr P Silvester
Mr P Bailey
Mr K Kelsey
Mr H Genn
RESOURCE CENTRE
Registered Office
Bradbury House, Ramsgate,
Louth. LN11 0NB
Telephone No : 01507 605604
Fax No : 01507 608802
MEET OUR STAFF
LOUTH
Mandy Johnson
Chief Executive
Telephone No : 01507 605604
E-Mail : mandy@llbs.co.uk
Lesley Smith
Office & Resource Centre Manager
Telephone No : 01507 605604
E-Mail : lesley@llbs.co.uk
Julie Baines
Fundraising & Volunteers Manager
Telephone No : 01507 605604
E-Mail : julie@llbs.co.uk
Margie Blyth
Administrator
Telephone No : 01507 605604
E-Mail : margie@llbs.co.uk
Helen Dawson
Accounts Administrator
Telephone No : 01507 605604
E-Mail : helen@llbs.co.uk
Dorothy Selfe
Sight Impairment Officer
Telephone No : 01507 603809
E-Mail : dorothy@llbs.co.uk
SCUNTHORPE
Karen Cousen
Sight Impairment Officer
Telephone No : 01724 860469
E-Mail : karen@llbs.co.uk
Gill Watts
Sight Impairment Officer
Telephone No : 01724 860469
E-Mail : gill@llbs.co.uk
GRIMSBY
Liz Broderick
Sight Impairment Officer
Telephone No : 01472 752681
E-Mail : liz@llbs.co.uk
GAINSBOROUGH
Jane Cowling
Sight Impairment Officer
Telephone No : 01673 828293
LINCOLN
Brenda Parish
Administrative Assistant
Telephone No : 01522 500652
E-Mail : lincoln@llbs.co.uk
Anne Peacock
Sight Impairment Officer
Telephone No : 01522 500652
E-Mail : anne@llbs.co.uk
SKEGNESS
Jan Gallagher
Sight Impairment Officer
E-Mail : skegness@llbs.co.uk
Susan MacGregor
Centre Co-ordinator
E-Mail : skegness@llbs.co.uk
SERVICES
Seven Sight Impairment Officers who provide support, information and advice.
Assistance with claiming various financial benefits.
Communication groups - training in IT and voice activated software.
Specialist radios for the blind and partially sighted.
Local and national Talking Books and Newspapers.
Eye Clinic Support established in Lincoln, Louth, Scunthorpe and Skegness hospitals.
Four Resource and Training Centres giving access to social clubs and craft sessions.
Promotion of leisure and sports.
Small grants to assist various needs.
Demonstration of and access to aids and equipment to assist daily living.
Access to Information Technology.
Visual Impairment Awareness Training.
Visual Impairment Awareness Training
Managing people in an effective way has become a major focus for many organisations. At the same time it is becoming increasingly clear that the role of professional and support staff is to assist people to live independently and promote social inclusion, enabling everyone to have the ability to gain access to a full range of public, private and voluntary services.
It makes sense to improve general awareness of all disabilities. Almost 2 million people in the UK suffer with severe sight problems (more than 3% of the population). It is therefore important for individuals to be well equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to communicate confidently with visually impaired people.
We are confident that our introductory course will provide an opportunity to achieve something purposeful for your organisation. It will foster positive attitudes through understanding and personal development, which we feel is crucial to any organisation’s progress.
Our aim is to enable participants to identify with disability and disability issues in their own workplace and to promote a reflective approach to professional development. The training will give candidates a greater awareness of human rights culture within their own practice, with a view to encouraging the review of existing policy and structures.
DONATIONS
" Sight loss is affecting more people! Can you help?"
We are all living longer and more people are suffering the intense trauma of losing our sight. Lincoln & Lindsey Blind Society's register of 2500 local people is growing and we believe up to 10,000 are in need of help.
Demands upon our resources have grown considerably and we need to generate more funding to maintain and develop our services provision to local disadvantaged people. People who are:
Your family, your friends, your colleagues, our clients.
Please consider giving a monthly amount to help us help those in need.
There are 2500 blind and partially sighted people on our register who receive help and support from Lincoln & Lindsey Blind Society. Your donations are vital if we are to continue delivering the quality and range of services that we provide to so many needy people throughout over 1600 square miles of Lincolnshire.
There are many different ways that you can donate
Post a donation to us, with cheques made payable to 'Lincoln & Lindsey Blind Society'. Our address is Bradbury House, Ramsgate, Louth. LN11 0NB.
Set up a simple standing order with your bank. Please contact us on 01507 605604 or e-mail us at info@llbs.co.uk for more details.
Bequeath a legacy in your will - Lincoln & Lindsey Blind Society will be happy to advise you on how you can make this valuable contribution to our Society. Getting your will written enables you to ensure that your estate is dealt with according to your wishes. Simply telephone the Lincoln & Lindsey Blind Society office on 01507 605604 or e-mail us at info@llbs.co.uk and we will be happy to advise.
'Give as you earn' through your company payroll.
Donations will be used to benefit the ever growing number of blind and partially sighted people living in our region. Lincoln & Lindsey Blind Society prides itself on providing the highest level of information, support and services to local people. This includes the work of our seven Sight Impairment Officers, recording and distribution of Talking Newspapers, benefits advice and provision of extensive visual aids and equipment.
Become a member of the Society
Lincoln & Lindsey Blind Society has a membership subscription scheme and our Society's newsletter, the Links Voice, is linked to the membership. Membership costs £6 per year.
What benefits do members receive?
The Links Voice newsletter, which can be requested in large print, braille or on tape.
Opportunity to take part in our Gold Club Lottery.
Other relevant information periodically.
The right to vote at the Annual General Meeting.
Opportunity to support the people on our register.
To join, simply ring Bradbury House on 01507 605604 or e-mail us at info@llbs.co.uk. We will send you details and you will automatically receive the next issue of the Links Voice.
Commercial Partners
Lincoln & Lindsey Blind Society is proud to be associated with a number of different Commercial Partners across Lincolnshire. Would you like to make Lincoln & Lindsey Blind Society your charity of the year to help us enhance our services within the local community? Please contact our registered office on 01507 605604 or e-mail us at info@llbs.co.uk to discuss how you can help us to develop our work with visually impaired people.
'Your Family, Your Friends, Your Colleagues, Our Clients'
VOLUNTEERS
Can You Help Become A volunteer
Lincoln & Lindsey Blind Society is always looking to increase its team of volunteers to assist with a variety of activities. We need people who can :
Assist with hospital eye clinics
Help with catering - bake cakes
Organise a simple fundraising event
Lend a hand with envelopes and mailing duties
Assist staff at tombloa stalls and raffles
Help out at our various social clubs
GENERAL INFORMATION
Volunteers come from all walks of life and all have the desire to help others. They bring a different dimension to the services we offer and we try to use their individual skills and experience to the best advantage of our service. We are keen that our volunteers will achieve much fulfilment through their work and enjoy their involvement with our Society.
Making a difference in the community.
Imagine what it’s like to be told you are to be registered blind. Eye diseases such as macular degeneration, glaucoma and cataracts are a few of the main causes of severe visual impairment in the UK.
Lincoln & Lindsey Blind Society has been established since 1921 and is able to provide the reassurance, information and assistance to enable a visually impaired person to continue to lead an independent life. Its Sight Impairment Officers are on hand to offer support, home visits and able to advise clients about the equipment and benefits available to them.
Do you have two hours to spare each month, fortnight or week?
We would be delighted to hear from you. Full training and ongoing support will be provided.
If you think you can help please contact Julie Baines on 01507 605604. Remember every minute of your time will be helpful to someone in need of this vital information service.