Sight Life

17/06/2026

☕ Can your cuppa change a life?

Let's be honest... most of us wouldn't think twice about spending £5 on a coffee.

But next week, that same £5 could make twice the difference.

From 22–29 June, every donation made through our Big Give campaign will be doubled thanks to match funding from players of People's Postcode Lottery. 💙

So we're asking a simple question:

Could you skip just ONE coffee and donate the cost instead?

☕ One coffee.
💙 One donation.
✨ Twice the impact.

What's your go-to coffee order? Tell us below!

15/06/2026

May brought a warm and welcome mini heatwave to Rhondda Cynon Taf, as well as its’ fair share of rain, for another busy month of activities for our members.
Our Young at Heart social group made the most of the first day of the heatwave with a lovely visit to Llanishen & Lisvane Reservoir. Joined by Val and a few Cardiff members, the group enjoyed a leisurely walk followed by a picnic lunch in the glorious sunshine.
We were also pleased to continue our partnership with Valleys Steps, who delivered the second session in their wellbeing series, focusing on the ‘Five Steps to Good Mental Health and Wellbeing’. The session explored the importance of connecting with others, staying active, learning new things, taking notice, and giving back. It was insightful, engaging, and very well received.
Across our other RCT groups, there was plenty happening too. Our Pontyclun group welcomed guest speaker Nick James from South Wales Police’s Hate Crime and Disability Team for an informative discussion. In Pontypridd, our VIP group enjoyed interactive stories and quizzes, while the Treorchy group took part in a lively session on food and nutrition, complete with a fresh fruit and veg tombola.
Our Aberdare Visionaries group enjoyed a wonderful visit from the Cynon Valley Museum team, who delivered a brilliant handling session with a selection of fascinating artefacts. Members had the chance to explore items such as an old washboard, a tin bath, a traditional rocking horse, coal mining memorabilia, and a collection of historic coins. Members loved revisiting the past and exploring the area’s rich heritage.
Member Rita said, “thank you for such a wonderful meeting we all really enjoyed it and found it so interesting, and it brought back lovely memories for the group”.
Members are already looking forward to their visit to the Museum in October.
Our Young at Heart social group had a fantastic day out exploring Pontypridd ’s annual Art Trail, beginning at Pontypridd Museum and making their way through Calon Taf in Ynysangharad park, Penuel Lane Church, the Market, Clwb y Bont, and several other venues, taking in the impressive final year projects created by the Creative Arts students.
A standout moment was the stunning silk installation crafted by Sight Life members in April at Meadow Street Community Gardens with its bold colours and beautiful reflections of Pontypridd. An absolute highlight!
To support Dementia Awareness Week, we attended the Dementia Hubs and Gadget Loan sessions at both Aberdare and Treorchy libraries, where we provided information to the public about sight loss and the services available across RCT, as well as deliver a talk at the Canolfan Cwmaman Warm Hub and Bingo Group, helping raise awareness of sight loss and strengthen understanding within the community.
Did you know that we have groups in Pontypridd, Aberdare, Pontyclun, Treorchy and a Young at Heart group?
For more information about services and groups in Rhondda Cynon Taff, please contact Carys Groves on 07753 305631 or email [email protected]

15/06/2026

Last week we welcomed a group of guest volunteers from Stantec UK Ltd to our Pedal Power cycling session Pedal Power Cardiff.
Thankfully we had lovely weather and the team piloted side by side bikes and rode as a group around Bute Park. Our regular volunteers were there as usual to assist and support the members.

The members enjoyed meeting the new volunteers and extra circuits of the park too.

The Stantec team enjoyed their experience and hopefully we will welcome them again to our cycling session or to other activities.
Thank you to all involved, and to Pedal Power Cardiff for assisting with the session.

If your company or business has community volunteering hours and would like to micro volunteer with us, please get in touch. It is a great way to support our work and fun for your team too.

Contact [email protected] or call 02920 398 900.
!

Pictures of the Pedal Power session with Stantec UK LTD

15/06/2026

Something good is brewing...

What if skipping just ONE takeaway coffee could help change someone's life?

From 22–29 June, every donation to Sight Life will be DOUBLED through Big Give Week thanks to match funding from players of People's Postcode Lottery.

That means your usual £5 coffee could become £10 of support for people living with sight loss across South Wales. 💙

Save the date and keep an eye on our page for more details.

👇 Who's the biggest coffee addict you know? Tag them below! ☕👇

08/06/2026

Our Ramble group were out and about last week for our monthly walk, This time we ventured to Dare Valley Country Park in Aberdare.
We travelled by VEST Community Transport and enjoyed a very sensory walk around the country park. The weather was a little soggy at times but that didn't stop our intrepid volunteers and members.

We opted to walk along the valley floor following the paths alongside the streams and amongst the woodland. The birdsong was very loud and tuneful. We walked to the base of the cwm and tried to spot the peregrine falcons that nest there.

The park had been reclaimed from the site of an old colliery and there were a few landmarks of the industrial past as well as beautiful grassland meadows and lakes too.

One of the members said "Thank you so much for a wonderful ramble, I really enjoyed the day, a wonderful day out, lovely company and setting. really interesting and so good to have all the fresh air."

Thanks you to David VEST Community Transport for being our driver for the day and joining us for the after lunch stroll to the cascading waterfall.

Thank you as always to our sighted guide volunteers who make these countryside walks possible. We couldn't do it without you!
!

Pictures of the ramble.

08/06/2026

What a busy week we had with our Volunteers across Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot, Rhondda Cynon Taff and Cardiff areas last week celebrating National Volunteers week.

Our volunteers are the backbone of everything we do at Sight Life, from our Trustees to admin assistance, contact line calls, group leaders, sighted guides, drivers and fundraisers, our volunteers are vital to our organisation, and everything we do to support our members with sight loss.

We are so grateful for everything they do for us and all of us at Sight Life appreciate all their efforts and dedication.

We had volunteer celebration parties in Swansea and Cardiff last week and it was lovely to see so many come along and spend a fun, relaxed afternoon together. It was a great opportunity to welcome the new volunteers too!

Well done volunteers you are amazing!
!

Pictures of our parties.

If you would like to volunteer please email [email protected] or call 02920 398 900 for more information.

05/06/2026

💙 Volunteers Week 💙
From Swansea to Cardiff, we’ve been celebrating the incredible people who make everything we do possible.

To every single volunteer – thank you. We can’t do this without you 🙌

04/06/2026

This is just some of the lovely feedback we had from our Spring Ball last week. Thank you Pisys.Net Ltd! Delighted you had a great time. We really appreciate your ongoing support. 🤩

Don't forget, the evening's official photos can now be viewed on our website too: https://sightlife.wales/a-night-to-remember-sight-life-spring-ball-2026/

A huge thank you to Sight Life for a genuinely wonderful evening at the Spring Ball on Friday.

The PiSYS team thoroughly enjoyed the event, from the warm welcome and fantastic hospitality to the opportunity to meet so many inspiring people supporting such an important cause.

The casino tables brought out everyone's competitive side, the food was excellent and comedian Bob Webb had the whole room laughing. Most importantly, it was fantastic to see so many organisations and individuals coming together to support the incredible work Sight Life does for people living with sight loss across South Wales.

Events like these remind us of the power of community, connection and giving back.

Thank you to everyone involved in organising such a memorable evening. We were delighted to be part of it and look forward to supporting Sight Life again in the future.