Archive News 2007

Local MP Andrew Gwynne and Helen Bullogh from the Big Lottery NW paid a visit to TBA's Community Support Project office on 2nd November to present a cheque from the Big Lottery ‘Reaching Communities’ Fund to TBA. The cheque was a big one in more ways than one, not only physically, but also in the amount, £405,460 to be precise! It will provide the Community Support Project with funding for the next five years.

Mr Gwynne said that he was very pleased to be at 4 Wellington Parade to present the cheque and it was a credit to the staff that they had put together such a comprehensive and ambitious application which was successful in a very competitive area. He wished TBA and the project well in the future.

Photo of TBA's chairman Kevin Cowan receiving the cheque from Andrew Gwynne MP

TBA's Chairman, Kevin Cowan receives the Big Lottery ‘Reaching Communities’ Fund cheque from Andrew Gwynne MP.

TBA members with Andrew Gwynne MP and Helen Bullough (Big Lottery Fund) and the cheque.

Community Support staff with Andrew Gwynne MP and Helen Bullough (Big Lottery Fund) outside Community Support Project premises.

TBA Committee with Andrew Gwynne MP and Helen Bullough (Big Lottery) outside Community Support Project premises.

AGM 2007

27.10.2007

The AGM saw a change at the top! John Price stepped down as Chair and Kevin Cowan was elected in his place. Ray Carter was re-appointed for a further term as Treasurer and Margaret Carter, after a year’s absence was voted in as Secretary. There were only two nominations for Trustee⁄Committee Members: Beryl Williams and Gordon Collinge, both were retiring members and were returned unanimously. The Committee is only just quorate and will be looking to co-opt suitable members in the future.

The Trustees Report for the previous year was presented and highlighted several points, namely the unfortunate way in which the Local Authority dealt with the Transport Review, the non-replacement of the dedicated Benefits Officer by Welfare Rights on the retirement of the post holder in March 2007 and the fact that future Criminal Record Bureau checks will have to be undertaken on behalf of TBA by a third party as the Association has been de-registered because it does not meet the criteria of 100 checks per year.

On a brighter note, the Community Support Project will be continuing for a further five years with the support of the Big Lottery Fund grant, the heating at HQ has been upgraded and the toilet for the disabled has been installed, the cost for the latter being met by New Charter Housing.

Over the year there have been meetings with Health and Social Care regarding services and the Vice-Chair attended Partnership for Older People Projects (POPPS) meetings as well as the National Association of Local Societies for Visually Impaired People (NALSVI) annual conference. Andrew Gwynne MP visited TBA and an impending visit by members of the Charities Commission in November is awaited.

In his report the CSP Manager gave details of the various activity groups including the Walking Group and the Young Persons’ Group and made mention of the successful visit to the Oldham Coliseum Theatre where members experienced an audio described production.

Big Lottery Fund Award

October 2007

After many months of hard work by the Project Manager and Community Support Project (CSP) sub committee the Association has been awarded the magnificent sum of £405,460 for a further five year’s funding from the Big Lottery ‘Reaching Communities’ Fund, commencing in February 2008 until the end of January 2013. In addition TBA will be contributing £10,000 (£2,000 p.a.) towards the cost of producing the Newsletter published by CSP. This makes a total of thirteen years six months of Lottery funding that TBA will have received.

The Big Lottery Fund’s web site says:

"Providing a lifeline service for visually impaired people, Tameside Blind Association today get the go ahead to expand the Community Support Project, thanks to a £405,460 cash award. The funding will ensure the project continues to offer a vital range of support services such as advocacy, information and employment advice, along with health and social activities such as befriending, guiding, walking, and trips to the cinema and theatre.

The project will also recruit specialist volunteers to carry out training at local hospitals and across the wider community to provide information and awareness surrounding visual impairment.

Margaret Carter TBA project organiser said: ‘It’s amazing what this funding means to the work we are doing. We are absolutely delighted that we have been awarded this grant from the Big Lottery Fund to continue and expand our community support project for the visually impaired residents of Tameside.’"

How Can You Take Photos, You Can’t See?

July 2007

Members of TBA’s Young Persons’ Group regularly go out on photographic sorties, often taking a particular theme as their subject. Recently the group visited Stamford Park to capture the abundance of wildlife.

Michael Squire, a member of the group said, "Being blind or visually impaired doesn’t mean you can’t take photographs; it just means you may need someone to set up the camera and describe the scenery. The visually impaired photographer will ask their assistant to describe the view around them, so the photographer can choose the scene. Then, working together, they line up the camera and ..CLICK.. the photo is taken."

Campaign for a Higher ‘Mobility Rate’

July 2007

RNIB is calling for people with a serious sight loss to be eligible to claim the higher ‘mobility rate’ of the Disability Living Allowance, worth £43.45 per week. Currently blind people, despite having problems getting about, are only eligible to claim the lower rate of just £16.50 per week.

Head of Campaigns at RNIB Steve Winyard, said, "It's not surprising that blind people, who can’t drive and often find public transport impossible, feel cheated by not being allowed to claim the same level of benefit as other disabled people. Many have become virtual prisoners in their own homes because the low level of benefit they receive doesn’t cover the cost of taxis."

RNIB’s August 2006 ‘Taken for a Ride’ report, said the Government’s estimated cost to change the eligibility criteria would be just £61 million per year and estimates this as less than 0.05 per cent of the Government’s social security budget.

Debt Advice

July 2007

Combined Hospital Citizens Advice Bureaux (CHCAB) provide debt advice to people affected by health issues, with an emphasis on clients who are blind, deaf, have disabled children, or who have contact with Mencap.

CHCAB can provide basic budgeting advice to a full-scale casework service. Basic budgeting advice involves helping clients prepare financial statements and negotiate with creditors.

Casework service involves contacting creditors on client’s behalf, negotiating realistic payments, preparing financial statements and helping to maximize income.

For information contact 0161 206 0287.

Tameside Hospital Redevoplment

July 2007

Work has begun on the Tameside Hospital redevelopment Health Investment in Tameside (HIT).

TBA's Glenis Lee and Les Hankinson have worked with the hospital advising on disability issues over several years.

Stephanie Sloan from Tameside NHS Acute Trust passes on the latest hospital development information:

"Anyone who has visited Tameside General Hospital recently will have noticed the construction work going on around Fountain Street. This work marks the start of the HIT redevelopment scheme with construction of the new multi-storey car park, Education and Training Centre and Pathology Laboratories.

We are all very excited to see these developments progress; however the construction will mean there is considerable additional activity around Fountain Street.

This is one of the reasons for the Trust’s decision to relocate the bus stop back to the previous location outside the Hartshead Entrance, to provide easier access to the bus stop for pedestrians.

There is also a diversion of the path from Fountain Street to the Darnton buildings; this will remain in place until the completion of the new multi-storey car park. The temporary route is located opposite the Pharmacy and gives a great opportunity to observe the construction work in action.

We will keep you updated of any changes on the site so that your visit will be as safe and pleasant as possible during the construction work."

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

July 2007

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is now thought to be a genetic disorder after two of the major genes have been identified. These genes heighten a person’s risk factor so, although they aren’t guaranteed to develop AMD, they are more likely to do so.

Identifying the genes can make a huge difference particularly because smoking (one of the major contributing factors to AMD) interacts with one, and possible, both of them.

Miles of Smiles

July 2007

‘Miles of Smiles’ is a scheme where volunteers use their own cars to help passengers who wild find it difficult to use public transport to attend health-related appointments.

There is a mileage charge and it’s available to people living in Tameside.

Contact Volunteer Centre Tameside on 0161 339 2345 to register or for more details.

Transport Review

July 2007

TMBC’s Adult Services (formerly Social Services) has been reviewing provision of transport services to disabled people since January 2007. The criteria for eligibility for social care transport has been changed and anyone now wishing to access transport by Social Care to attend clubs, day centres, etc. will have to be assessed against the new criteria. For example, service users who are eligible for public transport travel passes (or taxi vouchers), Disability Living Allowance or have a motability vehicle will not be able to access Social Care transport. As no new passengers have been allowed to be added to the transport list while the review has been taking place over many months, some of the clubs for vision impaired people have been experiencing difficulties.

Denton Blind Club has had particular problems as the once-full minibus is now arriving with just six members. Sylvia Martin, secretary of the club said, "We're really upset about this. It's having a detrimental affect on our club. We know people who want to attend but we're not allowed to put them on the list. Our numbers are dwindling and we’re afraid that if they get very low, Social Services will be tempted to say that there’s no longer a need there anymore."

Les Hankinson, Press Officer for TBA, issued the following statement:

"Tameside Blind Association appreciates the necessity for Tameside Council to review and rationalise the way it distributes its finances and understands that, as part of such a review, the provision of social care transport has to be looked at.

However, where the Association takes exception is the way in which the Borough’s elected representatives have implemented changes without informing the voluntary organisations who support these individuals. They have failed to discuss with these organisations how it would affect their membership and how the implementation of such changes could best be introduced without causing anxiety to those who are excluded.

The Local Authority repeatedly talks about working in partnership and involving vision impaired people in decision making about the services they receive, but in implementing the new criteria for access to social care transport, working in partnership seems to have been ignored!"

Good Luck, Barbara

June 2007

Barbara Smith recently retired from her post as a TMBC Welfare Rights Officer and the Association presented her with a bouquet to mark TBA’s appreciation of all the hard work she has done for visually impaired people.

Barbara Smith receives flowers from

John Price, Chair of TBA

Anger over Loss of Post

May 2007

The Trustees and members of TBA are angry and disappointed that Tameside MBC has not funded a replacement for the dedicated Benefits Officer post on the retirement in March 2007 of the holder. Apparently the work will be shared by several Welfare Rights Officers who, the Association feels, will not be able to provide the same level of service to blind and partially sighted people as a dedicated Benefits Officer.

TBA lobbied hard and long for the post to be funded, having meetings with Cllr. Ambler, who championed TBA’s cause, to no avail.

The situation will be monitored.

Success of Museum Trip - see below

June 2007

Sixteen vision impaired people and helpers enjoyed a great day out at the Museum of Transport and Heaton Park, Manchester on 17th June 2007.

Picked up from Dukinfield the group were taken on a nostalgic journey in a vintage green double-decker driven by volunteers from the Boyle Street transport museum.

Arriving at the museum the group were able to look around the well-stocked depot displaying buses dating back 50 years or more and have a quick cuppa before departing to Heaton Park.

The sun emerged from the clouds just as the party reached the park and the members enjoyed a warm afternoon rambling around the grounds, checking out the farm animals, the Hall, the rowing boats and the café.

Thanks to volunteers from the museum, members of TBA were able to to have a wonderful day out and can’t wait for this time next year!

Identity Theft

June 2007

Police and consumer organisations are warning people to be careful when disposing of correspondence which may contain details of their bank and personal details.

Identity theft is on the increase and the advice is wherever possible to shred personal information before placing it in the bin.

Respect Day

July 2007

Tameside Blind Association’s Young Persons’ Group were asked to attend a ‘Respect Day’ at Ashton 6th Form College in April along with representatives from a wide range of other disability, faith and environmental groups.

By visiting the displays and stalls students were able to talk to members of the various groups and learn more about their particular organisations.

Members of the Young Persons’ Group enjoyed chatting to the students and telling them about TBA and their own particular experience of sight loss. They even managed to recruit a couple of new volunteers.

Jean Hurlston, one of the organisers of the ‘Respect Day’, said "I was delighted so many organisations took the opportunity to be present at our event; there was a good range of of charities, community groups and faiths. Having a group of blind and partially sighted young people from TBA was a particularly effective way of encouraging dialogue amongst students and staff. It enabled people to have a clearer understanding of what it is like to manage and live life to the full, even with the challenge of disability. Thanks Rhona to you and your organisation. Keep up the good work!"

Free Museum Trip

May 2007

On Sunday, 17th June, 2007 TBA members have the chance to visit two of Manchester’s museums!

Leaving from 4 Wellington Parade, Dukinfield, transport will be provided for the visits to the Museum of Transport and the Museum of Science and Industry.

Volunteers will be available to act as guides if necessary.

Contact Rhona or Kevin on 0161 343 6903 as soon as possible to secure your place.

Visit to ‘Sight Village’

July 2007

The Sight Village is a free exhibition of technology and support. ¹"This is an unmissable event for people who are blind or partially-sighted, for professionals supporting and advising VIPs and for all businesses and other organisations wishing better to meet the needs of their vision impaired customers.

QAC Sight Village has been described as ²‘the premier exhibition for blind and partially-sighted people in the UK’ and as ³‘the country’s leading expo of access tech solutions’. Each July, thousands of visitors travel to Birmingham to find out at first hand the latest technology, products and support services available to people who are blind or partially-sighted. Our exhibitors are commercial companies and voluntary organisations from throughout the world."

¹The Sight Village

²National Federation if the Blind

³BBC Radio 4 In Touch

Dates this year (2007) are: Tuesday 17th July until Thursday 19th July (three days)

TBA will try to organise transport and volunteers if sufficient members wish to attend the ‘village’.

If you are interested, please contact the Community Support team on 0161 343 6903 as soon as possible.

Audio Books

July 2007

Dukinfield Library’s latest additions to their talking books are:

"The Life and Times of a Thunderbolt Kid" by Bill Bryson (playing time 7hrs 29mins)

"The Night Watch" by Sarah Waters (playing time 19hrs 25mins)

"Nightingale's Nest" by Sarah Harrison (playing time14 hrs15 mins)

High Flying Staff

April 2007

By coincidence both Kevin and Rhona have visited the Antipodes in recent months - not together of course!

Kevin flew from Manchester to Brisbane, via Dubai and Singapore and cannot extol the virtues of Emirates Airlines too much. He received VIP treatment during the flights and at the various airports and advises that it is very important that passengers advise the airline prior to departure (ideally at the time that the tickets are booked) if they have a visual impairment.

Rhona had the good fortune to tour in both Australia and New Zealand for three months at the beginning of this year (2007). Whilst in Dunedin, New Zealand she made an unannounced visit to the local Blind Association; she met the staff, who were kind enough to explain the service that the association provides.

Both Rhona and Kevin enjoyed their trips and have many fond memories of their time on the other side of the world.

RNIB's ‘Open Your Eyes’ Campaign

April 2007

According to the RNIB’s current campaign ‘Open Your Eyes’ "Thousands of people in the UK are needlessly losing their sight every year through treatable conditions like glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy."

A report produced by the Institute states "that more than half of all sight loss is avoidable. Unknowingly 1.9 million people with diabetes who aren’t having regular eye tests and 250,000 people with early-stage glaucoma are at high risk of losing their sight."

Are you paying too much Council Tax?

June 2007

It is estimated that 2.3 million people are not receiving Council Tax Benefit.

Tameside Council are encouraging people, especially pensioners, to check if they should be receiving Council Tax Benefit.

To find out your entitlement contact Tameside Council’s Tax Benefit office on 0161 342 8355.