Newsletter for Summer 2007: Issue 18

This information is also available in Braille, on tape or, if you prefer, by e-mail. If you wish to receive your newsletter in any of these formats, give us a call on 01495 763650 and speak to Sam.

Newsletter Contents

Clicking one of the content links below will take you to the relevant section if you do not wish to read the entire newsletter.

Open Day News

On July 11th between 10.30am and 1.00pm, Monmouthshire residents are welcome to attend our special Monmouthshire Open Day at Bridges Centre, Drybridge, Monmouth.

Our Torfaen Open Day will be 8th August at the Resource Centre in Pontypool between 10.30 and 1.00 - all are welcome.

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Report on Technology & Information Day

Over 400 people attended our Technology & Information Day this year and we had some fantastic talks on subjects such as Macular Degeneration and Nystagmus. Some talks were heavily over-subscribed and people put up with cramped conditions in order to hear the latest treatments and advice. If you would like more talks on particular eye conditions, please contact us on 01495 763650..

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St Dunstan's

St Dunstan's have a team of Welfare officers who visit members in their own homes to assess and provide social work support. Rehabilitation training can be offered at the rehabilitation and training centre at Ovingdean. Here, members will have the opportunity to receive advice and training on all aspects of daily living, communication and mobility as well as leisure pursuits and craft skills.

You are entitled to help from St Dunstan's if you have served in any of the armed forces whether in action or not. St Dunstan's have opened a new office in Wales. It is staffed by David Richards, Surveyor, Fiona Trolley, Welfare Officer and Judy Phipps Administration. They can be contacted on (01633) 869324 and their internet page is at www.st-dunstans.org.uk.

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Glaucoma - The Leading Cause of Preventable Sight Loss

2% of the population over the age of 40 have Glaucoma, but only half of those people will know they have it. It cannot be cured, but it can be controlled. 10% of the population over 80 will have the condition.

Even greater numbers of people will have Ocular Hypertension - raised pressure inside the eye - without a measurable sight loss. This needs monitoring and sometimes treating to prevent glaucoma starting.

Glaucoma is difficult to self-detect because there may be no symptoms. Damage is caused in the off-centre area rather than the middle, and without treatment will eventually cause tunnel vision and blindness. Because there is no pain and the field of vision can be lost without noticing, regular monitoring is vitally important. Sight tests account for around 90% of detections, so even if spectacles are of no use to you, having your eyes checked regularly is an absolute must.

The tests for glaucoma are a visual examination for damage to the optic disc, measurement of pressure and measurement of the field of vision - looking for blank spots in each eye. Tests for people at high risk (those with a close relative with glaucoma) are free.

Living with glaucoma means using drops in the eye, and sometimes laser surgery may be recommended. The aim is to keep pressure down to a level at which no further damage occurs to the optic nerve, and is quite straightforward if detected early.

New treatments are being developed: within the last 5 years drug treatments have been introduced that have virtually no side effects, and there are currently trials being run on neuro-protection which will strengthen the optic nerve rather than reduce the pressure.

As managing the condition is key to retaining sight, if older people develop glaucoma it is important that they - or their carers - recognise when it is difficult to put in the drops. There is an array of gadgets that can help, and if you want more information on this you can speak to your Rehabilitation Worker (contacts below) or the Glaucoma Association on 01233 64 81 64. More information also available on their website www.glaucoma-association.com

Rehabilitation Services in South East Wales:

Rehab Service contacts:

Blaenau Gwent	01495 322770
Caerphilly	0808 100 2500
Monmouthshire	01873 735900
Newport	01633 656656
Torfaen	01495 762200

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Understanding your Eyes

Family Doctor Books are published by Family Doctor Publications in association with the British Medical Association. They cover a wide variety of common medical conditions and aim to back up a GP's diagnosis. Each condition is explained in simple language with colourful illustrations so the reader can understand his or her illness and is therefore in a better position to be able to cope with it.

Each book is written by an expert doctor and endorsed by the BMA, making the series one of the most credible sources of health information available today.

A new edition of their book Understanding Your Eyes : Cataracts, Glaucoma and Macular Degeneration, written by a consultant surgeon at the University Hospital of Wales, has recently been published, costing £4.75.

Books are available from local pharmacies, by ringing 01202 668330, or from the website, http://www.familydoctor.co.uk/. The website also gives details of other titles that are available.

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Post Office Closure

2,500 Post Offices are set to close. The closure programme will start in Summer 2007 and is expected to last 18 months. Before any closures take place there should be a local six week public consultation period. This is your opportunity to raise objections regarding the proposed closure of your Post Office.

In July, Post Office Limited will publish the timetable of when they expect to announce plans for each area. Details of this will be available from Postwatch on 08456 013265. When Post Offices are closed, customers will either be directed to travel to the nearest office, or in certain circumstances an alternative means of getting the services that you currently receive from your Post Office will be provided. It may be that a mobile Post Office will visit the area or services may be provided through another business.

We would advise you to contact your MP to raise any concerns you have. If you don't know who your MP is you can contact the House of Commons Information Office on 020 7219 3000. You might also consider contacting your local authority or Councillor.

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Smoking Age Limit to Rise

The Government have confirmed that the age limit for the purchase of cigarettes will rise from 16 to 18 from 1st October this year. It will therefore be illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to buy cigarettes after this date in England and Wales.

This follows a full consultation that considered whether the legal age for buying tobacco should be increased in line with alcohol. In addition to this the RNIB has called on the Government to fund a national advertising campaign to warn teenagers of the link between smoking and blindness.

There is now much evidence that macular degeneration and cataracts are very much more likely in people who smoke.

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Thank You

We were very touched to receive an anonymous donation of £50 - whoever you are we are grateful. The only indication of who sent it was a handwritten note saying For your charity, God bless you all. We would have written to you to say thank you if we had your address, but please be aware that we are very pleased to have received this.

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Diana for World Domination!

Diana Evans, Newport Rehabilitation Worker, has been chosen to represent Great Britain in the IBSA World Tenpin Bowling Championships for the Blind in Sydney, Australia. The tour is 2nd to 11th November and Diana is having to raise a significant sum in sponsorship in order to represent her country so if anyone would like to hold a coffee morning or similar she would be very grateful. We are hugely proud of Diana and feel it puts South East Wales well and truly on the world map!

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Fundraising Walk

In celebration of our birthday, on 29th September, at Cwmcarn Scenic Drive - an opportunity to enjoy a lovely day out with friends, family and relations whilst helping to raise much-needed funds to keep our Resource Centre open. Walks will be available for ALL abilities from the gentle ambler to the hardened hiker, so please join us. Details are available from 01495 763650. Please encourage as many people as you can - sighted or not - to come along to make this a fantastic day.

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Reports

reports are available now for each unitary authority area detailing what we have done over the last year. Also available is our Trustees Report for 2006/7 and the Chairman's report. Our financial accounts will also be available from mid July 2007, again if anyone would like a copy of any of these please telephone 01495 763650 and say what format you would like. Our reports will also be available on this web site.

We are so proud of what we have achieved in the last year, and would like to specifically thank Pam Dennis for all the very hard work she has put in over the years to enable us to get to where we now are. Pam is still in touch on a regular basis and has now started a visually impaired reading group in Chepstow.

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Flowers

We were saddened to hear of the death of Mrs Joyce Wilmott of Newport, whose family so kindly specified that instead of flowers, donations should be made to Gwent Association for the Blind. Thank you also to her son who very generously added to the sum raised; we are so grateful and many people will benefit from Joyce's legacy.

Although it's always a delicate subject, we would like to remind those of you who say they would like to leave money to the blind in their wills that, if you don't make it clear that you want the money to be spent locally, your solicitor will probably identify a big national organisation. If you would like your money to be spent on local people who have serious sight loss then please leave it to Gwent Association for the Blind. Currently our Ringaround service that phones people who don't get out much and checks that they are ok each week is funded by a legacy from Mr Bill Sexton. Where you would specifically like your donation spent on something particular we are very happy to help - please telephone 01495 763650 for advice.

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Stop Junk Mail and Nuisance Calls

If you are fed up with endless phone calls or junk mail from telemarketing companies wanting to sell you something or offering information you do not wish to receive, you can request your details be taken off the list made available to these companies.

BT Privacy at Home Service:

You can sign up to BT Privacy at Home which aims to block all nuisance calls.
Tel: 0800 916 5544 or online at www.bt.com

Mail Preference Service

This will remove you off 95% of the direct mail lists. It will not stop overseas or unaddressed mail to the occupier.
Tel: 0845 703 4599 FREEPOST 29, Lon 20771, London, W1E 0ZT

Telephone Preference Service

Free service which will stop organisations contacting you on your home or mobile phone. It cannot block texts. (to block texts you must contact the sender directly).
Tel: 0845 070 0707
www.tpsonline.org.uk

Royal Mail Door to Door

To stop unaddressed mailing being delivered by Royal Mail. To register, write to: Royal Mail Door to Door Opt Out, Royal Mail, Kingsmead House, Oxpens Road, Oxford, OX1 1RX.
Tel: 08457 950 950

Silent Calls

A silent call is usually generated by automated dialling equipment that dials more numbers than there are operators available. Telephone this number called Silent Call Guard, and register FREE for a year. It won't block companies who have not joined the scheme.
Tel: 0870 444 3969

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Possible name change for GAB

Having made the move from New Inn to Bradbury House, and now that we are providing so many more services than before we have been debating whether the time has come to change our name. The reasons for doing this include the fact that GWENT no longer exists and that many people are put off by the term BLIND and may therefore not take up our services even when they would get much benefit from them. We have had instances in the hospital, for example, where people have said that they didn't contact us because they didn't consider themselves to be blind even though they couldn't see the headline in a newspaper. Lots of people also think our name smacks of CHARITY and feel this doesn't apply to them - they feel too independent and proud and don't want to feel part of an organisation that has a bit of an institutional feel about its name.

On the other side of the coin, however, we have had our name for many years and we have a good reputation that goes with that - up and down the country. It also helps with fundraising to be able to use the B word! We have many contracts with local authorities, and it will be quite difficult to persuade everyone that we are the same organisation if we change our name, and of course there will be some expense in reprinting materials and changing our letterhead.

In the first place we'd like YOU, our readers and supporters, to help us make this decision. We would therefore like you to think about whether we should change our name - Yes, or No. If you think we SHOULD change our name, have you got any suggestions for a possible alternative? Is there anything we should avoid? Please phone 01495 763650 or email Sharon.Beckett@Gwentblind.org with your views.

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AGM

Our General Meeting is 10th July at 6.30pm, at Bradbury House, Park Buildings, Pontypool NP4 6JH. We would like to invite you to this event and will be having a speaker as well as wine and cheese.

At the AGM, we need to elect our Trustees for the coming year. In accordance with our constitution, up to 12 Trustees can submit themselves for re-election and below is a summary of the Trustees who would like to be re-elected. In order to be re-elected a Trustee needs to have the support of a proposer and a seconder at the AGM.

Trustee members wishing to be re-elected

Mr Hugh Phillips

Mr Steve Evans

Mr Brian Mawby

Mrs Beverly Williams

Mr Stuart Davies

Mr Bob Clarke

Mr Terry Christopher

Mrs Hilary Lester

Mrs Lynda Strickland

Ms Mai Jones

Mr Ian McDonald

Mr Ian Beverley

The Trustees are responsible for our management and governance. Each Trustee is expected to manage a portfolio of specific responsibility such as finance, or publicity and they operate within a strict code of practice set out by the Charities Commission.

Nominations to be a Trustee can be made at any time and if you would like to nominate someone to be a Trustee please telephone 01495 763650. Trustees are interviewed by a panel of 3 people and our criteria for selection is to ensure we get a wide range of expertise. All Trustees are expected to attend a monthly meeting on Tuesday evenings and support events and activities.

We have five Trustees who are nominated by the local authorities, although at the time of writing we have yet to receive nominations from some areas. Current known nominations are:

Cllr Tony Gray (Newport)

Cllr Anne Blackman (Caerphilly)

IMPORTANT: Constitutionally two Trustees are elected by members, and nominations are currently as set out below:
Mrs Yvonne Williams
Mrs Pam Dennis

These Trustees are elected on a ballot basis and if you would like to vote you can do so by the following methods:
a)attending the AGM and voting in person
b)) voting by telephoning 01495 763650 and asking to speak to Emma Richards who will collect telephone votes
c)by post - postal votes should be signed by hand even if they are prepared on a computer or typewriter.

Telephone and postal votes must be received by no later than 9.00am on 10th July in order to allow time for scrutiny and counting. Please use your vote to choose who you would like as a Trustee.
For more information about attending our AGM or voting for Trustees - telephone 01495 763650.

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Volunteers Wanted

As we grow we are getting increasingly busy and yet our finances remain at the same (or reduced) level. This means we look to use voluntary help wherever we can, and if you have a few hours a week to spare and would be able to take up some of the many tasks we ask volunteers to do then please telephone 01495 763650.

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Tredegar Club

After many successful years, Tredegar is finding some club members have had to give up because of frailty or age. They are looking for new members and volunteers and meet on alternate Wednesdays in the afternoon. Activities range from outings to speakers and everyone is very friendly. If you would like to join please telephone 01495 763650 and we can put you in touch.

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For Sale

A Tieman Reader SVGA-C that connects to a computer to allow users to switch between computer view and video magnifier view. Excellent working condition, single owner since new, 8 years old, offers in the region of £400. Please contact James McKenzie 01633 667056 or 07736 649972 or james.s.mckenzie@ntlworld.com

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