Blog 5 – 2.6 Challenge – 26 blog posts over 26 days…
The penultimate charity I have chosen to support is RNIB. The giant of sight loss charities in the UK.
Ordinarily I would never consider fundraising for RNIB. As mentioned they are a supersize charity so it is easy to believe that they don’t struggle for funds. However, no charity is immune from the pandemic. Being a large charity they provide a vast number of services for blind and partially sighted people. There is a joke within the visually impaired community that RNIB stands for Really Not Interested in Blind people. Yet I think every visually impaired person has accessed an RNIB service at some point and we do so quite casually. We take RNIB for granted.
RNIB has a dedicated helpline and offers advice on sight loss, benefits, technology, generally anything sight loss related. They have a useful online shop with various blind friendly products. They campaign for visually impaired people’s rights. They run a radio station. Basically they do anything and everything.
My favourite RNIB service is their library. I used to loan books out in Braille, but now I prefer to download audio books from them instead. Reading is a passion of mine. I enjoy chick lit, thrillers, fantasy, dystopia, young adult and real life stories. My taste is pretty broad. Thanks to RNIB’s library I am able to lose myself in another world.
Please consider donating as little as £1 to help save our UK charities. You can find my fundraising page by clicking here
Thank you and stay safe x
Thursday 30 April 2020
Wednesday 29 April 2020
Look UK
Blog 4 – 2.6 Challenge – 26 blog posts over 26 days…
The third charity I have chosen to support is Look. They are a relatively small sight loss charity supporting children, young people and their families. I have volunteered for them in the past and have some great memories from 2006 when I travelled with them to Berlin for the International Computer Camp.
The reason I have decided to fundraise for them now is because of the fab work they are doing during lockdown. Everyone is feeling more isolated than usual. To combat this people are sharing funny videos, posting various photos and joining in with You Tube work outs. As someone with a visual impairment the inaccessibility of these activities has been felt deeply. I was keen to try something new and connect with people too.
About 6 weeks ago, right at the beginning of lockdown Look advertised a 4 week mindfulness course. It was to be run by Wise Kids and via the conferencing platform Zoom. I can’t say I have ever wished to learn about mindfulness, associating it with hippies and the like. However, the opportunity was there and I thought why not.
It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I looked forward to Tuesday and Thursday nights. It was a time where I could focus on myself. A time to relax, listen and learn. Mindfulness is not just about meditation. It is about absorption, appreciation and acknowledgment. By writing this blog I am practicing mindfulness. It is really worth exploring if you ever get the chance.
The course was so successful that Look are continuing it for a further 4 weeks, starting from tonight and I can’t wait. Look have been hosting a number of Zoom events enabling visually impaired people and their families to connect, socialise and benefit during this tricky time. I hope post lockdown that it is something that they will be able to continue with in the future.
Please consider donating as little as £1 to help save our UK charities. You can find my fundraising page by clicking here
Thank you and stay safe x
The third charity I have chosen to support is Look. They are a relatively small sight loss charity supporting children, young people and their families. I have volunteered for them in the past and have some great memories from 2006 when I travelled with them to Berlin for the International Computer Camp.
The reason I have decided to fundraise for them now is because of the fab work they are doing during lockdown. Everyone is feeling more isolated than usual. To combat this people are sharing funny videos, posting various photos and joining in with You Tube work outs. As someone with a visual impairment the inaccessibility of these activities has been felt deeply. I was keen to try something new and connect with people too.
About 6 weeks ago, right at the beginning of lockdown Look advertised a 4 week mindfulness course. It was to be run by Wise Kids and via the conferencing platform Zoom. I can’t say I have ever wished to learn about mindfulness, associating it with hippies and the like. However, the opportunity was there and I thought why not.
It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I looked forward to Tuesday and Thursday nights. It was a time where I could focus on myself. A time to relax, listen and learn. Mindfulness is not just about meditation. It is about absorption, appreciation and acknowledgment. By writing this blog I am practicing mindfulness. It is really worth exploring if you ever get the chance.
The course was so successful that Look are continuing it for a further 4 weeks, starting from tonight and I can’t wait. Look have been hosting a number of Zoom events enabling visually impaired people and their families to connect, socialise and benefit during this tricky time. I hope post lockdown that it is something that they will be able to continue with in the future.
Please consider donating as little as £1 to help save our UK charities. You can find my fundraising page by clicking here
Thank you and stay safe x
Tuesday 28 April 2020
Guide Dogs
Blog 3 – 2.6 Challenge – 26 blog posts over 26 days…
The second charity I have chosen to fundraise for is Guide Dogs. I guess it is a fairly obvious charity for me to support since I am the proud owner of my retired Guide Dog Calvin and new Guide Dog Riley. It is a cliché to write, but they are real life changers. I love nothing more than striding through the streets with not a care in the world, something that wouldn’t be possible without a Guide Dog by my side. A Guide Dog provides a level of independence that otherwise couldn’t be achieved by other means. They offer freedom.
For both boys I had to wait for nearly 2 years on the waiting list. Thankfully Calvin was a superstar and worked beyond his 11th birthday meaning I wasn’t left without a guide at any point whilst I waited for Riley to take over the reins. I count myself even luckier that Riley and I managed to get trained up and qualified before the pandemic.
Others however are not as fortunate as me. I have friends that have been waiting for a replacement Guide Dog for over 2 years and on top of that have no Guide Dog at present. With the situation we find ourselves in their wait time is going to be significantly increased as all Guide Dog training has stopped and all dogs are with temporary boarders.
Waiting times were already too long. The charity was already stretched. Please consider donating as little as £1 to help save our UK charities. You can find my fundraising page by clicking here
Thank you and stay safe x
The second charity I have chosen to fundraise for is Guide Dogs. I guess it is a fairly obvious charity for me to support since I am the proud owner of my retired Guide Dog Calvin and new Guide Dog Riley. It is a cliché to write, but they are real life changers. I love nothing more than striding through the streets with not a care in the world, something that wouldn’t be possible without a Guide Dog by my side. A Guide Dog provides a level of independence that otherwise couldn’t be achieved by other means. They offer freedom.
For both boys I had to wait for nearly 2 years on the waiting list. Thankfully Calvin was a superstar and worked beyond his 11th birthday meaning I wasn’t left without a guide at any point whilst I waited for Riley to take over the reins. I count myself even luckier that Riley and I managed to get trained up and qualified before the pandemic.
Others however are not as fortunate as me. I have friends that have been waiting for a replacement Guide Dog for over 2 years and on top of that have no Guide Dog at present. With the situation we find ourselves in their wait time is going to be significantly increased as all Guide Dog training has stopped and all dogs are with temporary boarders.
Waiting times were already too long. The charity was already stretched. Please consider donating as little as £1 to help save our UK charities. You can find my fundraising page by clicking here
Thank you and stay safe x
Monday 27 April 2020
The Norrie Disease Foundation
Blog 2 – 2.6 Challenge – 26 blog posts over 26 days…
It makes sense to spend the first few blogs explaining why I have chosen to fundraise for each charity. So first up is The Norrie Disease Foundation.
For those who know me will know that I am an Ambassador for the NDF. The genetic condition generally affects males. However, I was the first female in the world to be diagnosed with Norrie Disease. My claim to fame. My older brother and 2 uncles have also been affected by Norrie.
The NDF recently had a major fundraising campaign where we needed to raise a massive £62500 in order to fund vital preventative hearing loss research. Despite being a tiny community, less than 50 people have Norrie Disease in the UK we managed to hit the target. The support I received from family and friends was phenomenal and will never be forgotten.
So you might wonder why am I fundraising for the NDF again? I appreciate friends and family may be reluctant to sponsor me after already making a contribution before. The truth is that it is a charity that is close to my heart. It is such a small charity trying to do enormous things. At a time where the world is in crisis, it is the little charities that are going to suffer the most. For most of my life there was no UK based charity for my condition. No support network. No hope of research or treatment. In 2017 that all changed when The Norrie Disease Foundation launched. It feels cheeky asking for donations again, especially since it wasn’t long since I did so last. Nevertheless, if I don’t then myself and the Norrie community might be left without support once more.
Please consider donating as little as £1 to help save our UK charities. You can find my fundraising page by clicking here
Thank you and stay safe x
It makes sense to spend the first few blogs explaining why I have chosen to fundraise for each charity. So first up is The Norrie Disease Foundation.
For those who know me will know that I am an Ambassador for the NDF. The genetic condition generally affects males. However, I was the first female in the world to be diagnosed with Norrie Disease. My claim to fame. My older brother and 2 uncles have also been affected by Norrie.
The NDF recently had a major fundraising campaign where we needed to raise a massive £62500 in order to fund vital preventative hearing loss research. Despite being a tiny community, less than 50 people have Norrie Disease in the UK we managed to hit the target. The support I received from family and friends was phenomenal and will never be forgotten.
So you might wonder why am I fundraising for the NDF again? I appreciate friends and family may be reluctant to sponsor me after already making a contribution before. The truth is that it is a charity that is close to my heart. It is such a small charity trying to do enormous things. At a time where the world is in crisis, it is the little charities that are going to suffer the most. For most of my life there was no UK based charity for my condition. No support network. No hope of research or treatment. In 2017 that all changed when The Norrie Disease Foundation launched. It feels cheeky asking for donations again, especially since it wasn’t long since I did so last. Nevertheless, if I don’t then myself and the Norrie community might be left without support once more.
Please consider donating as little as £1 to help save our UK charities. You can find my fundraising page by clicking here
Thank you and stay safe x
Sunday 26 April 2020
2.6 Challenge
Blog 1- 2.6 Challenge – 26 blog posts over 26 days…
I have decided to sign up to the 2.6 Challenge to help save our UK charities. It is an initiative set up by the London marathon organisers who are challenging 2.6 million people to raise £26.20 each by partaking in a challenge relating to 2.6 or 26 in order to make up the millions of pounds that will be lost by the cancelation of everyday fundraising events.
In an ideal world I would have liked to have been able to fundraise for all charities since every charity does amazing work. However, it is only possible to select 5 charities. So I have chosen The Norrie Disease Foundation, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Look UK, RNIB and Girl Guiding UK. These have all been selected as they are important to me and my wellbeing. Also, by choosing these charities they will all be eligible for a donation from The Charities Aid Foundation who will be distributing funds from the 2.6 Challenge where people have made a general donation.
For the challenge I am going to write 26 blog posts over 26 days kicking off today Sunday 26 April. This is possibly cheating a little, but this is the first blog post. I have been blogging since 2008. There are so many topics and life events that I crave to write about yet always fail to find the time. For 26 days at least this is going to change.
I know times are tough. If you could spare a few pounds to help save our UK charities it would be much appreciated. They all do such fantastic work and need our support more than ever.
Please consider donating as little as £1 to help save our UK charities. You can find my fundraising page by clicking here
Thank you and stay safe x
I have decided to sign up to the 2.6 Challenge to help save our UK charities. It is an initiative set up by the London marathon organisers who are challenging 2.6 million people to raise £26.20 each by partaking in a challenge relating to 2.6 or 26 in order to make up the millions of pounds that will be lost by the cancelation of everyday fundraising events.
In an ideal world I would have liked to have been able to fundraise for all charities since every charity does amazing work. However, it is only possible to select 5 charities. So I have chosen The Norrie Disease Foundation, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Look UK, RNIB and Girl Guiding UK. These have all been selected as they are important to me and my wellbeing. Also, by choosing these charities they will all be eligible for a donation from The Charities Aid Foundation who will be distributing funds from the 2.6 Challenge where people have made a general donation.
For the challenge I am going to write 26 blog posts over 26 days kicking off today Sunday 26 April. This is possibly cheating a little, but this is the first blog post. I have been blogging since 2008. There are so many topics and life events that I crave to write about yet always fail to find the time. For 26 days at least this is going to change.
I know times are tough. If you could spare a few pounds to help save our UK charities it would be much appreciated. They all do such fantastic work and need our support more than ever.
Please consider donating as little as £1 to help save our UK charities. You can find my fundraising page by clicking here
Thank you and stay safe x
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