A club for visually impaired people which has moved forward at ‘a terrific pace over the past year’ has been awarded a £5,000 grant to expand its social programme.
Torfaen Visually Impaired Fitness and Social Club group was set up twelve years ago after a six-week pilot organised by Torfaen’s social services and Gwent Association for the Blind proved popular. The club, which meets at Pontypool Active Living Centre one morning a week, is now independent, but continues to be supported by GAB and Torfaen Social Care and Housing Services.
“The grant is a great boost for the club and secures our future for the next year, great news,” said Andrew Edwards, 55.
“Visually impaired people are not all the same, we all have different needs and problems; this group gets people out of the house.”
“This money gives the club a little bit of independence, and can now look to the future. I was talked into attending five years ago,” said Colin Rowlands, 56, who is registered blind.
“I hit a low when my sight started to go and these people helped me out of it because they have all been through it.”
Margaret Hallows said “This is absolutely fantastic news, and means so much to the members and volunteers of the club”
Torfaen Social Care and Housing’s Planning and Development Team supported the group to apply for the external funding which will help it to expand and develop a social programme. The grant success means that the club will no longer be dependent on council funding to support its weekly visit to Pontypool Active Living Centre.
GAB office manager, Lissa Gomer, said club members were ‘over the moon’ about their grant success.
She added that new volunteers were always needed to work with people on a one-to-one basis, saying, “We oversee the group and make sure everyone is safe. If it wasn’t for our volunteers, the group wouldn’t be able to meet; that’s why our volunteers are so important.”
Volunteers must be aged 16 and over and be available from 10am to 12noon every Wednesday. If you are interested, please contact Lissa Gomer on 01495 763650.
