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Issue 4 - July 2005

Hedley Kay entertains members of the Social Group.
This was his 6^th visit to Guernsey in association with the Healing Music Trust.
He is a firm favourite with his Irish charm and his
repertoire of songs from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s

Introduction

Once again I am delighted to be introducing our fourth Guernsey Blind Association Newsletter.

Since the last Newsletter earlier in the year our Association has been keeping very active.

In April we once again put together an exhibition for the Guille-Alles Library which was on display for the entire month. The theme chosen was how life had progressed over the sixty years since the occupation to the modern day with all the latest technology for the visually impaired.

Also in April we held our 7^th Annual General Meeting at our Centre which was very well attended. Within this Newsletter you will find the reports which were presented by myself, Mr Bernard Saunders, Mrs Jean Le Huray and Mrs Caroline Maynard.

During the months of May and June Mrs Le Huray and Mrs Maynard travelled over to Alderney and then to Sark to visit the homes of some of the visually impaired on the islands. As well as giving those they visited welcomed support they also provided them with information regarding the latest resources available to them to make their lives just a little bit easier.

I would also like to mention that our weekly Social and Handcraft afternoons are increasingly well attended and that the Forsight Group meetings are now being held every two months and are proving to be very constructive. Our weekly Audio News Service continues to be busy sending out news tapes to over seventy visually impaired people.

Finally I would like to take this opportunity of saying a huge thank you to all those people who volunteered to give up their time to make this year's Flag Day such a success. Our Association spent an awful lot of time organising this island-wide event but it was because of the great number of people who offered to sell the flags and support our cause that made this time well spent.

Once again many thanks to you all for your help and support.

Sandy Mauger

Treasurer's Report 31/12/2004

I am pleased to be able to report that The Guernsey Blind Association was again in a sound financial position at the end of 2004. There was an excess of income over expenditure for the year of £7,879 after covering all our operating expenses and meeting all the requests for assistance from the visually impaired in the Bailiwick.

The excess of income over expenditure was less than in 2003 when we received two large legacies. We still hold substantial cash deposits which includes the cash held by Collins Stewart and £180,000 held on a separate account specifically for the purchase of Guide Dogs for Bailiwick residents. This balance is now shown in the accounts as part of our funds. Last year it was shown as being held for The Guide Dogs For The Blind Association. This balance was reduced during the year by the payment for two dogs which I am sure will be mentioned in the Presidents report.

Income from Linden Lea the adjoining property continues to match income from our other investments.

As those who have had an opportunity to study the annual accounts will have seen the property has not been re-valued in the balance sheet but the Trustees and I have stated that in our opinion the property is worth not less than the purchase price. Indeed I am myself confident it will have appreciated. This building we are in now has been depreciated in accordance with standard accounting practice.

The Investment portfolio held by Collins Stewart stood at £399,216 at market value showing an increase over last year of just under £10,000, dividends and bond interest being used to meet operating expenses.

During 2004 we increased our holding in equities by £50,000 but with the state of the economy as it is at the moment do not intend to move more money out of cash.

The split of investments in our portfolio is similar to last year - Cash 17.44%, Equities 34.16%, AAA rated bonds 48.24%. Once again we held a successful Flag Day raising £5,108. Also a Raffle raising £2,838 many thanks to David Eaton. Our income from collecting boxes remained relatively high considering the International appeals over the last year, this is thanks to the sterling work of Gordon Fowler.

Despite our sound position we must continue to raise funds to secure us for lean years and to keep us in the public eye. To this end I would appeal for as many people as possible to assist with our Flag Day on the Saturday 11th June.

Bernard Saunders.

Advisor's Report 2004

During the year of 2004, thirty-three new visually impaired people have been referred to the Guernsey Blind Association and the number of clients that I have visited remains fairly static. It is estimated that we only reach approximately 25% of people with a serious sight problem. It is for this reason that we are always trying to raise a greater awareness of the service the Guernsey Blind Association can provide.

I have given a variety of talks to organisations such as: - Gateway Club, Guide Association Trefoil Guild and St. John's Residential Home Carers. I was invited to a Workshop for Line Managers of the Civil Service to make a representation for employment of people with a physical disability or sensory impairment. It was interesting to note that those who had been persuaded to wear simulated spectacles during the group discussions had listened so intently that they had not really taken an active part. Visually impaired people have their sight problems at all times and greater effort should be made for them to be included.

The Guernsey Blind Association takes an active part in two smaller charities, S.T.E.P.S. and R.A.M.P. where we have been able to give advice on the audit of ‘Accessibility to shops in Church Square, High Street, Beau Sejour and the Market’.

The Forsight Group continues to meet alternate months for both social and pro-active meetings. Representatives of the G.B.A Committee and the group have met with the States Environment Department, Traffic Section and we are pleased to report that after many years of persuasion the traffic lights are being upgraded with bleepers or revolving tactile cones, as can be found at the Doyle Road / Grange Junction. The members of the group are pleased to have the opportunity to give the views of the visually impaired so that improvements can be made.

They have also had productive meetings with Hannah Beacom, of Island Coachways, and had a tour of the Airport although this was disappointing as very few of their recommendations have been acted upon.

On the social side we have enjoyed Ten-pin bowling and a New Year Dinner at La Trelade Hotel. Unfortunately the Summer activities were cancelled due to atrocious weather conditions.

The Age Related Macular Degeneration visits by Professor Lotery and his team came to an end when they had exhausted the supply of volunteers with A.M.D. in Guernsey. The Research continues and is proving very positive, as the gene that causes the condition has been identified. Work is now on going to find a treatment.

Dolphin Computer Access, along with Haggar Electronics and Professional Vision Services held a 'Drop in Day' at the G.B.A. Le Four Cabot Centre. There were demonstrations of the latest technology including computer software, C.C.T.V's and cassette players to name but a few. This was well attended by both people with a sight problem and from States Departments and some employers.

The R.N.I.B. held a volunteer training session for their new digital talking book service at the G.B.A. Centre. The old style 6 track tape player has been phased out and the new compact disc player has been introduced. The machine has good colour contrast, tactile buttons and speech (telling you what you have pressed). The disc has been specially formatted so that listeners can navigate through the book with ease. It has proved very popular and every listener is truly delighted.

Mr Matt Benson has been appointed as Teacher in Charge of the States Education Visual Impairment Service following the retirement of Mrs Sue Miller. The G.B.A. continues to have a good working relationship with this department and several children have been brought to the Resource Centre to try out various special equipment.

We provided the venue for representatives of Blind in Business to hold a workshop for the visually impaired age group 15 - 24 years. Employment opportunities were discussed and the teenagers were put through mock interviews. The parents also attended for the last hour where they were able to express their hopes and concerns for their child.

Our Thursday afternoon social and handcraft group continues to enjoy the meetings. New people join as several elderly members become too frail to attend. The Healing Music Trust have given 6 concerts during the year which are much appreciated. The firm favourites are a Scottish Group known as 'On the Wagon'. They entertain us for an hour with their delightful singing and many jokes, not to mention flirting with the ladies. It is a real tonic and everyone goes home feeling much better.

St Andrews School completed their Sensory Garden which had been designed for the members of the G.B.A. The garden was part of the Britain in Bloom competition and won A Silver Award. It was a real community effort, the children had visited the G.B.A on several occasions to ask what our members would like so that it could be included in their design. We were invited to the official opening and one of our visually impaired members cut the ribbon which had been decorated with paper flowers. We are now at liberty to use the garden at any time and we hope that this year the weather will be kinder.

My work for the Guernsey Blind Association and the Visually Impaired continues to evolve and expand. It is good to note that we are now invited to make comments and representations to the work of the States of Guernsey departments and other agencies on behalf of the visually impaired.

Jean le Huray

Secretary's Report 2004

I would like to introduce myself to anyone I have not yet met. My name is Caroline Maynard and I have been working for the Guernsey Blind Association as Secretary now for nearly two years.

I was delighted last year to be offered the chance to accompany Mrs Le Huray on her annual expedition to visit some visually impaired people in Alderney. Mrs Jean Le Huray gave much welcomed advice to ladies on visual aids and other services available to them such as talking books.

I did enjoy the whole experience as it was a great opportunity to put faces to the voices I had come across throughout the year. It was also great to see Alderney residents benefiting from the services our Association provides.

During the past year there has been an increase in the number of visually impaired people who have approached the Association for assistance with funding for their eye tests and spectacles. In 2003 we received 30 requests for funding and in 2004 this number rose to 40.

The Association now regularly produces a newsletter and has recently distributed our third edition and we are now looking towards our fourth. Our aim in producing these six monthly newsletters is to keep people in touch with the Association's activities and dates of forthcoming events.

Last Christmas we were also very busy distributing around 200 tactile Christmas Cards to our visually impaired members. These cards were very kindly designed and made by children from Amherst, Haute Capelles, La Mare De Carteret and La Houguette Primary schools. We would like to thank each child for their imaginative creations, which were greatly appreciated by the recipients.

The Association once again held their Annual Christmas Lunch at Les Cotils Christian Centre which was attended by around 64 people. The lunch was a great success and the added entertainers for the event, Mrs Cathy Gill and Mrs Susan Crossley, sang seasonal Christmas songs which added to the festive atmosphere and were enjoyed by all.

Lastly for those with a good memory or who have come prepared with a diary here are some forthcoming events.

Our Flag Day is scheduled for Saturday 11^th June and anybody able to spare some time to sell flags please let myself or Mrs Le Huray know and if you have any friends who may be able to help us we would be grateful for their names too.

We shall once again set out a stall at this years Donkey Derby on Saturday 20^th August at Sausmarez Park.

Our annual Autumn Fayre has been planned to take place on Saturday 22^nd October here at the Four Cabot Centre where we will once again be drawing our Grande Raffle winning tickets.

This year's Christmas lunch has been booked for Saturday 10^th December and because of all the positive feedback we have received after last year's event the venue will once again be Les Cotils Christian Centre.

Caroline Maynard

President's Report 2004

I am very happy to once again be welcoming you all and to thank you for joining us for the A.G.M. of the Guernsey Blind Association. I have the pleasure of running through some of the events that have occurred over the past year keeping our Association very actively busy.

Our first big event after the A.G.M. of last year took place on 20^th May when we were thrilled and honoured to have Sir John and Lady Foley together with Lady Carey visit us at our Le Four Cabot Centre. Sir John and Lady Foley enjoyed a tour around our resource facilities and were introduced to our visually impaired members of our Thursday Afternoon Group and our volunteer helpers. The visit was a great success and remained a talking point for quite some time!

We were also very fortunate to have been visited by Deputy Peter Roffey, the President of Health and Social Resources, who also met with the Thursday Afternoon members and volunteers and he too learnt more about the services our Association provides to the visually impaired people in the Bailwick.

In June we were delighted to be approached by the Medical Specialist Group to be present at the official opening of Mill House which holds the new eye clinic, both myself and Mrs Le Huray were impressed with their new facilities.

During the year the Guernsey Blind Association presented the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association two cheques totalling £70,000 for Bailey, a Guide Dog for Mr Peter Kendall and for Zac, a Guide Dog for Mr Roy Perry. These funds will meet the cost and training for both Bailey and Zac, together with food and veterinary expenses and any re-training throughout their working life. Mr Kendall and Mr Perry are both visually impaired and welcome the difference their dogs have made to their everyday life. Several of the Committee members were also invited to an official reception to launch the Guernsey Guide Dog Appeal that was launched by Lieutenant Governor Foley.

The Summer Outing on Friday 25^th June was a great success once again. Our visually impaired members and helpers enjoyed their coach tour around the island and the journey passed by very quickly but judging by the amount of chatter all present had an enjoyable time. After the Coach trip everyone was welcomed back at Le Trelade Hotel for afternoon tea and cake.

Fund raising was of course yet again an important priority for the Guernsey Blind Association both to raise further funds but just as importantly to increase the public's awareness of the services we can provide to improve the quality of life for visually impaired people. Last year we held two flag days, the main one was in June but we also managed to hold an additional Flag Day at Safeways in July. We did struggle again last year to find volunteers to sell flags on our behalf, but many thanks to all those who gave us their precious time. This years Flag Day has been allocated for 11^th June and anyone able to help us please get in touch.

The Donkey Derby held in August was great fun and very successful once again. We managed to sell out of toys for our Tombola stall and generated a lot of interest in our Association as a whole.

In October we held our annual Autumn Fayre which seemed particularly well attended. We had more stalls this year including a Bottle Stall, Coffee and Cake Stall , Book Stall, Plant Stall and a large amount of Bric-a-Brac.

As you are probably aware this year is 'The Year of the Volunteer' and we would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have so willingly given us their time over the past years so that we are able to provide all the social activities that have been mentioned in our reports. The audio news which is a well-established service would not exist without the weekly commitments from the Editor, Technicians and many readers. The Social Afternoons would not be so popular without the friendliness of the helpers and flexibility of the drivers providing essential transport to our visually impaired members. Very many thanks to you all.

Sandy Mauger

Forthcoming Events

Summer Outing
Thursday 30th June

Donkey Derby
Saturday 20^th August

Autumn Fair & Grand Raffle
Saturday 22^nd October

Christmas Lunch
Saturday 10^th December

The Raffle tickets for the Grand Raffle will be on sale from the 1^st August. If you can help us distribute these tickets or could donate a prize towards the draw please could you contact our office and speak with Caroline or Jean on 236933. All assistance will be very welcome and greatly appreciated.

Officers and Committee

President                                                MRS SANDRA MAUGER

Honorary Treasurer                              MR BERNARD SAUNDERS

Advisor to the Visually Impaired          MRS JEAN LE HURAY

Secretary                                                MRS CAROLINE MAYNARD

Handycraft                                             MRS MARION DOREY & MRS DOREEN HURFORD

COMMITTEE OF TRUSTEES

MR HUGH BACON (Consultant Ophthalmologist)

MRS MARGARET CLEREY            (GBA Listening for Pleasure Tape Library)

DR DAVID DE LISLE

MR DAVID EATON                            (Audio News Co-ordinator & Technician)

MR GORDON FOWLER                         (Collection Boxes)

MRS CATHERINE LENFESTEY           (Thursday Afternoon Helper)

MR TONY MAHY

MRS MARGARET MOFFATT               (Friends of the GBA)

MR CHRIS RICHARDSON                    (GBA Property Manager)

ADVOCATE JESSICA ROLAND           (GBA Legal Advisor)

MRS VIV WEBBER                                 (Audio News Editor)

GUERNSEY BLIND ASSOCIATION

TEL 236933 FAX 236932

E-MAIL gba@guernsey.net

WEBSITE www.guernsey.net/~gba/

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