Support 4 Sight

19/06/2026

Friday Round-Up
What a fantastic week its been!

BBC Gardeners’ World Live
A huge congratulations to Becky Williams, whose stunning sensory garden, Sensed Not Seen, was awarded Gold at BBC Gardeners’ World Live in Birmingham on Wednesday evening. After being assessed alongside many exceptional showcase gardens, Becky’s achievement is something we are all incredibly proud of.
There have been lots of interviews taking place, so keep an eye out for TV coverage and watch this space for more photos and videos!

AbilityNet Visit to Harlow Sight Hub
Paul from AbilityNet visited our Harlow Sight Hub, where 10 people enjoyed an introduction to the services available and learned how to make the most of the accessibility features on their devices.

Chelmsford Picnic Success
After several weather-related postponements, Chelmsford’s picnic finally went ahead in beautiful sunshine! Nearly 30 people joined us to enjoy a relaxing picnic lunch, refreshments, and great company.

Coming Up Next Week

Harlow Picnic
Join us at Harlow Town Park Tuesday 23rd June from 11am (weather permitting). Please let us know if you plan to attend, along with any dietary requirements.

Takeley Sight Hub, The Old School Community Café, CM22 6SB. 10:30am – 12 noon

Wagfest Community Day
Support 4 Sight will be attending Wagfest on the Common in Saffron Walden on Saturday 27th June, 10am–3pm. Come along for dog shows (weather permitting), live music, entertainment, bouncy castles, face painting, food and drink, and a wide range of community and charity stalls. We'd love to see you there!

Cockney Night – Friday 10th July
7:30pm – 11:00pm
Galleywood Heritage Centre, The Common, Chelmsford, CM2 8TR
Tom Carradine is back! Join him at the ol’ Joanna for a lively Cockney sing-along featuring music hall favourites, wartime classics, West End hits and popular songs through the decades. Expect a traditional knees-up, fish and chips supper, and plenty of fun.
£25 per person (includes supper)
Bring your own bottle
We look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming events!

18/06/2026

Pre-Employment Sessions for People with Sight Loss – Starting Soon!

Are you blind or partially sighted and living in Essex?
Looking to take the next step towards paid employment?
Zsuzsi from Support 4 Sight is running Pre-Employment sessions designed specifically for people with visual impairments. These sessions will cover key topics to help you feel confident and prepared for the workplace, including how and when to disclose your disability, preparing for interviews and much more!
Start Date: Wednesday 1st July
Time: 10:00 – 11:30am
Location: Online via Microsoft Teams
Duration: 4 weeks
Eligibility: Open to people living in Essex only (due to funding)
If you'd like to receive more details or be added to the participant list, please contact Zsuzsi by email [email protected] or telephone 07950 945 119

17/06/2026

Have your say – your lived experience matters!

Thomas Pocklington Trust funds 25 Sight Loss Councils across the UK currently, bringing together blind and partially sighted people to influence change locally and nationally. Amy Askew, Engagement Manager for the East region, leads the Essex Sight Loss Council and would love to meet with you.

Amy is inviting blind and partially sighted people to come along for an informal chat and share their experiences through a short survey. It's taking place on Monday, July 6th at 1.30pm at the Kingsland Church in Colchester.

We’ll be talking about what really matters to you in areas such as transport, health services and the built environment. Your views will help build a wider national picture and directly inform Thomas Pocklington Trust’s business planning and priorities for the next three years—so your voice can help shape future change.
Your feedback will be immeasurably valuable to our work. So please come along, sit, chat, and tell us what’s important to you as a blind or partially sighted person. Amy is there to listen and to make sure your views are fed back to a national sight loss charity working across the UK.
And of course… there will be tea, coffee, and plenty of biscuits!
Sight Loss Councils

15/06/2026

Harlow Low Vision Exhibition
Tuesday 21st July 2026
10:00am – 1:00pm
Harlow Playhouse, Studio 2, Harlow, CM20 1LS
Join us for a fantastic opportunity to explore a wide range of assistive equipment, technology, and support services designed to help people living with sight loss.
Meet a variety of industry suppliers, discover helpful local services, and receive practical advice and information in a friendly and welcoming environment. Take your time to chat, browse the stalls, and learn about the latest resources available, all completely free of charge.
For more information, please contact us on 01245 933572.
HumanWare Associated Optical Essex County Fire and Rescue Service Find Your Active - West Essex Computer Room Services

12/06/2026

Friday Round Up

BBC Gardener’s World Live – The Big Build Begins!
Day 1 of the construction of Becky Williams’ stunning sensory garden, "Sensed Not Seen", is underway at the NEC Birmingham. Despite the challenging weather, Becky and her team are hard at work transforming the space ahead of the show.
We are incredibly proud of Becky, whose vision, determination and dedication have made this exciting project possible. Support 4 Sight will be joining Becky at the exhibition from 18th–21st June, and we’ll be sharing live updates throughout the event so you can follow the journey with us!

Accessibility in Action
Paul from AbilityNet visited our Epping Sight Hub this week, where 13 attendees enjoyed an introduction to the wide range of support and accessibility features available on their devices. A great session helping people make the most of their technology.

Working Together for Employment Support
On Wednesday, we attended the Harlow Supported Employment Network, bringing together employment support providers from across the area. The meeting focused on collaboration, referral pathways and a mapping exercise to strengthen local services. We’re pleased to say that our Support 4 Employment service is firmly on the map.

Visionary Regional Meeting
Thursday provided a valuable opportunity for CEOs from sight loss charities across the East, South East and London regions to come together for peer support and shared learning. Discussions focused on measuring outcomes effectively and navigating the challenges that arise when major funding streams come to an end. While there were no magic solutions, the collective insight and experience shared were invaluable.

Coming Up Next Week
Chelmsford Picnic
Join us at Bromfield Village Hall from 11am (weather permitting). Please let us know if you plan to attend, along with any dietary requirements.

Footcare Clinic
Rebecca from will also be at our Chelmsford Sight Hub providing her six-weekly footcare clinic. For more information, contact Rebecca on 07540 178424 or simply drop in.

AbilityNet at Harlow Playhouse Tuesday 16th June 10:30am–12:00pm
Paul from AbilityNet returns for another technology support session. Don’t forget to bring your gadgets!

Cockney Night Returns!
Friday 10th July 7:30pm–11:00pm
Galleywood Heritage Centre, The Common (off Margaretting Road), Chelmsford, CM2 8TR
Tom Carradine is back at his ol’ Joanna for an evening packed with Cockney sing-alongs, music hall favourites, wartime classics, West End hits and beloved songs from across the decades.
Enjoy a traditional fish and chips supper, bring your own bottle, and join us for a proper old-fashioned knees-up! £25 per person, including supper.

Thank you to everyone who continues to support our work. We look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming events!
Tom Carradine AbilityNet BBC Gardeners World

08/06/2026

Support 4 Sight, as part of the Rainbow Group, invites you to meet Richard Bounds, CEO of Rehabilitation Workers Professional Network, on Thursday, the 11th of June 2026 at 10.00.
The Rainbow Group is an award winning collaboration of local sight loss organisations in England.
Richard is the CEO of the Rehabilitation Workers Professional Network (RWPN), the professional body for Vision Rehabilitation Specialists. This qualified role supports people with sight loss to learn independence skills such as orientation, mobility and daily living tasks. RWPN protects the profession by holding an accredited register and overseeing standards for the role.
How to join?
Online: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4580437872
Phone: 0203 481 5237
Meeting ID: 458 043 7872
Not available?
The sessions are recorded and are available on various platforms.
Podcast Episodes - https://livewellwithsightloss.buzzsprout.com/
Live Well Archive -https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4SUhjl38VsHiHsqUo_Q6MZ8uKl5BcXY-
Tech Sessions - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4SUhjl38VsGHMcZ_RRl1F62rttfsZLfg
Please join us.
We are also interested to hear from you if you have a particular interest that you would like to know more about, if you have an interesting story to tell or if you know someone else who does.
Please email to [email protected] and put Rainbow in the subject box.

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05/06/2026

Friday Round-Up
What a busy and rewarding couple of weeks it's been at Support 4 Sight!
Canalability Boat Trip
On Wednesday 27th May, we enjoyed a wonderful trip along the beautiful River Stort with CanalAbility. Members soaked up the sunshine, took in the peaceful canal surroundings, and even had the chance to steer the boats and help operate the locks! The day was topped off with delicious scones, jam and cream (we'll leave the debate about what goes on first to you! 😉)
A huge thank you to the fantastic Canalability team for making the day so special. Keep an eye out for a full video of the trip coming soon!

Picnic Dates Rescheduled
Unfortunately, the recent wet weather meant we had to postpone our picnics, but we're pleased to announce the new dates (weather permitting):
Wednesday 17th June, 11.00am – Broomfield Village Hall
Tuesday 23rd June, 11.00am – Harlow Town Park
Tuesday 7th July, 12.00pm – Jubilee Gardens, Saffron Walden

Volunteer Week 2026
As part of Volunteer Week, we were delighted to attend the Saffron Walden Volunteer Recruitment Fair at the Town Hall. It was a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of Support 4 Sight, highlight the vital role our volunteers play in supporting blind and partially sighted people, meet potential new volunteers, and connect with other local organisations.
A big thank you to Collette Kerr and everyone at Saffron Walden Town Council for hosting such a successful event, even managing to keep everything running despite a power cut!
On Thursday, we joined Chelmsford CVS at Volfest on Chelmsford High Street. Despite experiencing a little bit of everything weather-wise, sunshine, rain and wind, it was a fantastic day. We met lots of new people, shared information about our services, and networked with a wide range of inspiring charities from across Essex and beyond. It was wonderful to get out into the community and introduce Support 4 Sight to so many new faces.

• Coming Up Next Week
Monday 8th June – Epping Sight Hub. Paul from AbilityNet will be joining us for a technology session, so bring along your gadgets and questions!

Cockney Night Returns! Friday 10th July, 7.30pm – 11.00pm
Galleywood Heritage Centre, The Common (off Margaretting Road), Chelmsford, CM2 8TR
We're delighted to welcome back Tom Carradine and his famous ol' Joanna for an evening of Cockney sing-along favourites! Enjoy songs from the music hall era, both World Wars, the West End stage, and much-loved classics through the decades. Fish and chips supper included, Bring your own bottle, £25 per person.
It's guaranteed to be a good old-fashioned knees-up!
Have a wonderful weekend from everyone at Support 4 Sight!

02/06/2026

Unfortunately we have had to make the decision to postpone the picnic tomorrow in Chelmsford, due to the weather but we are still holding our Sight hub in the hall from 10.30-1.45, at Broomfield Village Hall!
We will keep everyone posted about new picnic dates

01/06/2026

Volunteer Celebration
The first week of June is Volunteer Week, a great opportunity to celebrate and raise awareness of the amazing volunteers and trustees at Support 4 Sight!
With over 50 active volunteers, this year alone, they have clocked up a huge 2016 hours of volunteering, an incredible contribution that reflects the time, care and compassion they give so generously. Whether it’s offering a friendly voice on the phone, welcoming someone to a social activity, or helping our team keep services running smoothly, every hour they give helps us continue supporting blind and partially sighted people.
Around 2 thirds of our volunteers are visually impaired themselves and can draw on their lived experience of sight loss to help others.
Our volunteers give their time in many ways, including befriending calls, running social groups, helping at events, assisting with office tasks behind the scenes and tirelessly fundraising to help keep the charity going. Their kindness, dedication and willingness to help make a real difference to people living with sight loss across our community.
We are grateful to each and every volunteer for the difference they make every single day.
Thank you for being such an important part of Support 4 Sight!
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for Support 4 Sight or need support with sight loss, please contact us on 01245 933572 or email [email protected]. Visit our website for more information about our services and support www.support4sight.org.uk
#2026

26/05/2026

Support 4 Sight, as part of the Rainbow Group, invites you to meet Vicky from Sutton Vision on Thursday, the 28th of May 2026 at 10.00.
The Rainbow Group is an award winning collaboration of local sight loss organisations in England.

Vicky is the Assistive Technology Coordinator at Sutton Vision in South London.
Vicky will be sharing a new “Live AI” experience on the Meta AI glasses using the Orion app. This app has been available for some years on the iPhone to assist with locating objects, and it can also be personalised. Recently, due to the opening of Meta, Orion is now available on the Meta AI glasses.
This has allowed some live features to come to the glasses, such as detection of obstacles in front of you whilst walking about and locating objects in a real time situation.
We will try to share some examples and open a discussion about this new feature and anything else Meta AI glasses have to offer.

How to join?
Online: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4580437872
Phone: 0203 481 5237
Meeting ID: 458 043 7872
Not available?
The sessions are recorded and are available on various platforms.
Podcast Episodes - https://livewellwithsightloss.buzzsprout.com/
Live Well Archive -https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4SUhjl38VsHiHsqUo_Q6MZ8uKl5BcXY-
Tech Sessions - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4SUhjl38VsGHMcZ_RRl1F62rttfsZLfg
Please join us.
We are also interested to hear from you if you have a particular interest that you would like to know more about, if you have an interesting story to tell or if you know someone else who does.
Please email to [email protected] and put Rainbow in the subject box.