Press Release: Charity for the blind in HQ switch

A charity which helps to improve the lives of blind and partially sighted people in Warwickshire has unveiled its ‘vision for the future’ after moving to new headquarters.

The Warwickshire Association for the Blind (WAB) has expanded by moving to Charles Court on Budbrooke Road in Warwick, and hopes to help more of the estimated 17,500 people in the area who could use its services.

The WAB offers rehabilitation services for those who have lost all or some of their sight, along with weekly drop-in centres, awareness training, equipment and support.

The move, which was completed by regional law firm Wright Hassall, has doubled WAB’s office space and its manager John Davis is excited by the year ahead.

“Our move has gone well and this new building will give us a fantastic opportunity to help more people and provide a better location for those who already engage with us,” Mr Davis said.

“We have two main roles – the first is to help individuals who are coming to terms with loss of sight.

“Sight loss is life-changing and can be highly traumatic, so we work with the individual, hospitals and the local council to rehabilitate and educate people through that difficult time.

“But we also do a lot of work with people who are blind or partially sighted and make sure they have services available to them.

“We have drop-in centres across the county and clubs so people can socialise.

“At present, there are 4,300 people on our database and we keep in regular contact to catch up with people and make sure things are ok.

“But we know there are so many more people who could benefit from what we can offer and hopefully 2010 will be a year in which we can grow and reach out to more people.”

WAB has 12 permanent staff, along with around 300 volunteers, and primarily supports people living in all parts of Warwickshire.

Gill Worthington, of Wright Hassall, believes the new location will help raise awareness of the association.

“WAB does an incredible amount of good and they needed to find a property which would allow them to continue to grow over time,” Mrs Worthington said.

“This is a great location for the staff and general public, who will now be able to access WAB services and support more easily, and it will also help raise the profile of the association to those who could benefit from its work.

“However, the charity will not be able to achieve any of its aims for the future unless the local community gets behind the project to support it. We are lending our support to the cause and hope other people will do the same.”

To find out more about helping to support people with sight loss in Warwickshire, contact John Davis on 01926 411 331.

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