Insight Magazine
December 2005
Welcome to the final issue of Insight for 2005. This year seems to have flown past and the pace doesn’t appear to be getting any slower. This issue contains a special feature on our clubs and details of events that will keep you busy long after Christmas has come and gone.
Everyone at the John Street and Elgin offices would like to take this opportunity to send you our good wishes for Christmas and for a happy and prosperous 2006, when we look forward to seeing you again in the New Year.
GSB Christmas Holiday Timetable
The Society will be closed as detailed below:
Wednesday, 14 December, John Street office will close at 12noon and will be open as usual the following day.
Friday, 23 December, John Street office will close at 1pm. Vera’s café will not be open on that day but will reopen on Friday, 6 January 2006. The Society will reopen at 9am on Wednesday, 4 January 2006.
If you need to speak to a social worker urgently while the Society is closed over Christmas and New Year, please contact one of the following emergency numbers depending on where you live:
Aberdeen City 01224 693936
Aberdeenshire 0845 8400070
Moray 08457 565656
GSB Phone Number
The Society’s phone number will change with effect from 9 January 2006. The new number is 0845 2712345. You will be able to reach both offices on this number and a call will be charged at a local rate.
Building Work at John Street
Repairs to the ceiling are due to begin just after Christmas. From 9 January there will be a skip and scaffolding in Jopp’s Lane for around three weeks. Access to the John Street entrance will not be affected.
Success for North East Talking Newspapers
For the second year running Bon-A-Talk has won the first prize in the magazine section of the Association of Scottish Talking Newspapers Tape Competition. Alison Bruce was presented with the trophy at the ASTN Annual Conference held this year in Kelso.
This achievement is particularly special given the upheaval caused by the problems with the roof this year. Many congratulations to Alison and everyone involved with the production of Bon-A-Talk.
'The 'Talking Banffie' has won the Newspaper Section of the Scottish Talking Newspaper Competition. This newspaper has been running for fifteen years and it and its sister paper, 'The Turra Talk' are available free of charge to all people with a visual impairment. To receive a copy, please telephone Lesley on 01261 815784.'
Fundraising News by Neil Skene MinstF
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have returned their Christmas Hamper Raffle tickets, already; we have raised over £5,000!
Many of you (too many to respond to individually) took the opportunity to give an extra donation as well as selling the tickets and for this, we are truly grateful! Some of you have also donated prizes and again, I thank you very much indeed!
The draw will take place on Friday, 16 December at 11.30 here at 21 John Street and local celebrity Cameron Stout will be making the draw. As well as witnessing the draw, all those that come to Vera’s Café on that day will be given a glass of mulled wine and a Christmas pie to help them get into the festive spirit.
If like me, you hate shopping at the best of times, have you thought about online shopping? If you shop online, please take a look at www.buy.at/gsb, as the Society gets a percentage of all purchases made through this shopping porthole and the percentage is increased until the end of January 2006.
Finally for this year, I must mention a remarkable man living in the Banchory area. On Wednesday, 26 October Bill Ewen did a sponsored ice skate at Aberdeen Ice Arena. You may think that there’s nothing too remarkable in this, but Bill is in his 80’s! As well as completing the skate, Bill raised over £1,515 for the Society!
All that remains is for me to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy and peaceful New Year from the fundraising team of Jane, Neil and of course Cracken.
Elgin to Inverness Bike Run
Thanks to the generosity of Waldy MacGillivray and his friends at the Springfield Inn in New Elgin, we are able to purchase some new equipment for the Elgin Office. A team of riders cycled this journey and raised over £1,000 which was donated to GSB and the North East Deaf Society. Our thanks also go to Donald Hutchins for attending on the day and for also receiving the cheque. Two screen readers will hopefully be available in the New Year, so please call in to the office to try them out. We are open Tuesday to Thursday from 10.30 until 2.30.
Visual Awareness Training (by Janette Hayworth)
As your User Representative on the Board I attended an Awareness Training Day in John Street on 10th August 2005.
I found it very informative, interesting and well run. These days are run so that people who work with or may come into contact with visually impaired people through their work have a better understanding of how and when to offer assistance.
There were 10 other people with me on the course. These courses are run monthly and are attended by a maximum of 16 people each time. If only one person leaves these Awareness Days with a better understanding of visual impairments, in my opinion they are well worthwhile. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff who have an input into these days.
Clubs and Activities
Many of you may not be aware of the wide range of clubs and activities organised by or connected to the Society. If you find something that interests you, a warm welcome awaits you in the New Year. Thanks must go to Janette Hayworth and John McConnachie for their work in compiling this special feature.
The following clubs meet at 21 John Street:
The Partnership Club meets every second Tuesday from 2pm to 4pm. The club will celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2006. People of all ages are welcome and as the name suggests, sighted friends and carers are also welcome. There is usually a speaker or musical entertainment and a good chin-wag over a cup of tea. They have a raffle each week and the proceeds go towards days out during the year.
The Men’s Club meets every Thursday between 10am and 12noon. At the moment membership is declining so they would welcome any more gentlemen who would like to join them. There is usually entertainment laid on in the form of a speaker or musical entertainment. If there is no entertainment the gentlemen just have a good old natter.
Dominoes Group meets every Thursday from 1.30pm to 3pm. There are eight members at the moment but more would be welcome. Costs £1 a week which goes towards tea and biscuits, and a Christmas meal out. They have an in house tournament with the winner getting a large trophy to keep for one year and a smaller trophy to keep. There is also a booby prize.
Harmony Group: this group meets every Friday from 1.30pm to 3pm for line dancing and discussion.
Age Related Macular Degeneration Group
meets on the third Friday of each month from 10am to 12noon. The group is chaired by Kath Bevan. They have 50 members but only between 10 and 20 attend the meetings at John Street. Any person suffering from Macular Degeneration is welcome to attend.
The Book Club meets every 4th Wednesday between 2pm and 3.30pm. The members meet to discuss a book they have read which was decided on at the previous meeting. More members welcome.
Yoga classes take place every Wednesday from 10am to 11.30am and from 12.30pm to 2pm. People of all ages and abilities are welcome, as the beauty of yoga is that everyone can benefit within their own limitations.
We would like to hear from any of you who may have any ideas for new clubs in John Street. Obviously we cannot guarantee the idea would take off. It depends on the number of people who are interested. The clubs are run by clients and volunteers with support from John Street.
Please contact Linda Fachie (Volunteer Coordinator) for further information.
There are also many active clubs in Aberdeenshire and Moray:
The Stonehaven Club meets on the first Thursday of each month. The Club has a wide range of activities, both indoor during the winter and outdoor during the warmer months. These are organised by their own committee who include entertainment as well as activities to keep the members mentally and sometimes physically active.
The Banchory Club meets on the second Thursday of each month. Members are entertained regularly by local talent in singing, Scottish music and local interest.
The Inverurie Club meets on the third Tuesday of each month to enjoy a social time together. Members take part in light-hearted quizzes and competitions or other entertainment. They also enjoy craft work, making various things for themselves and other people.
The Ellon Club meets for lunch on the third Thursday of each month. They meet in the local British Legion Club where they enjoy a meal together. They also enjoy outings a couple of times a year.
The Huntly Club meets on the third Wednesday of each month. This group is particularly ambitious. Since the summer they have gone for lunch as a group, listened to a presentation on personal and domestic safety, visited Baxter’s of Fochabers and tried bowling. They have great plans for the future.
The Peterhead Club meets every Wednesday. The Club has a great tradition for craft work. Both men and women are keenly involved, knitting blankets and clothes, which are sent through a local charity to people in Romania. It’s not all work and no play though, as they often join forces with other local groups for an outing.
The Fraserburgh Club, which meets every Thursday, enjoys competitive and by all accounts rowdy indoor games. They also join with other groups in the town for outings three times a year.
The Turriff Group, which meets each Friday, enjoys taking part in mainly indoor activities such as talks, games and quizzes. They also enjoy lively discussion about local events over a cup of tea.
The Banff Group meets each Friday to enjoy a quiet game of cards or dominoes.
The Portsoy Group enjoys a cup of tea and a natter each Monday.
The Buckie Club, which meets on the first and third Thursdays of each month, is currently “moving house” to a new location in the town and the format will be changing. They take a keen interest in local affairs and enjoy quizzes and talks by local experts in all fields.
The Keith Group meets on the first Thursday of each month. In addition to the usual types of entertainment such as talks and quizzes, the group recently took part in a local radio broadcast to advertise itself to the local community.
The Elgin Group meets each Monday to play bingo. They also enjoy outings.
The Lossiemouth Group enjoys socialising over a cup of tea on the last Wednesday of each month.
The Forres Group meets on the first and third Wednesdays of each month to enjoy visits to places of local interest. They also enjoy quizzes and talks.
The Moray Group meets on the last Friday of each month. This group of twenty, thirty and forty-somethings has recently restarted. They look forward to mainly social outings a couple of times each month. They plan theatre and cinema trips and some more “daring” activities including archery.
If you have any ideas or suggestions for these clubs or would like to start one in your area, please contact John McConnachie at the Society.
Audio Description Re-Launch at HMT
The task of audio describers is to enable people with impaired sight to enjoy a stage performance – play, musical, pantomime or anything else – as much as the sighted audience. Audio Description has been available at HMT since 2000. The describers work from a box adjoining the lighting box at the rear of the upper circle, using a microphone which sends the sound to headsets worn by the clients.
Before the show begins, a describer gives an introduction, covering characters, actors, staging, costumes and something about the plot. After the curtain rises, he or she tells the audience what is happening on stage, always taking care not to speak when an actor is speaking.
From May 2004, until September 2005, HMT was closed, but the describers occupied themselves with additional training. Since the reopening we have returned to the fray with renewed enthusiasm, describing “Blood Brothers”, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” and “Saturday Night Fever”. The pantomime now looms large (oh yes it does!), with description on 28 December at 2.30pm.
After the New Year, described performances are as follows:-
Saturday 28 January, 5pm: “Trainspotting”
Saturday 4 February, 2.30pm: “The Jungle Book”
Saturday 18 February, 2.30pm: “Titanic – The Musical”
Saturday 25 February, 2.30pm: “Private Lives”
Saturdays 13 and 27 May, 2.30pm: “Miss Saigon”.
That there are no described performances in March and April is at least partly because there are only six describers, and at least two are required for each show. We are all volunteers and it is not always possible for two to be free in any given week. We are anxious to recruit more potential describers. The job is obviously very worthwhile but it is also stimulating and enjoyable. The only requirements are a clear voice, a quick mind, a love of theatre and enough spare time to attend performances for preparation prior to description.
If you think that you might be interested in becoming a describer, phone Grampian Society for the Blind and leave contact details for the ADAA Training Co-ordinator, Linda Williamson.
Talking Magazines and Newspapers
The Cue and Review Recording Service is seeking to increase the numbers of blind people from the Grampian region who are receiving their range of talking newspapers and magazines. The titles that we produce are not provided by any other groups. This includes the
Radio Times Scotland, The Herald and Sunday Herald newspapers and the Scottish Sun to name but a few.
For further information, contact Cue and Review at Cue and Review Recording Service, Crowhill Business Centre, 18 Crowhill Road, Bishopbriggs, Glasgow G64 1HE. Tel: 0141-563-0306
Pen Pal Wanted
“Hello. My name is Carrie Thould and I am a registered blind person living in Gloucestershire. I have always had a fascination with Scotland and would very much like to find a pen pal in this area. I am 36 years old and would like to find a blind woman aged between 25 and 50 to correspond with either by Braille letter, email or tape.
I am a Christian and my hobbies include walking, listening to a wide variety of music, including classical, folk, world and pop from the 60s to the 80s. I also enjoy knitting, cooking, going for walks, the theatre, radio and TV, reading especially mysteries, family stories, medical stories and true life/missionary stories. I enjoy singing and I play Autoharp and keyboards. I work as a telephonist/receptionist for Transco”.
If you would like to correspond with Carrie, her contact details are as follows: Miss Carrie Thould, 21 Leaside Close, Cam, Dursley, Glos, GL11 5SH. Email: carrie.thould@btopenworld.com
Voicemate for Sale
David Smith has a Voicemate personal organiser for sale for £130 or nearest offer.
The Voicemate has full speech output and acts as telephone/address book, telephone dialler, memo taker, diary, appointment book, calculator and alarm clock.
Telephone numbers, addresses and appointments can be accessed using voice recognition and numbers can be dialled automatically using the built in autodialler.
If you would like more information, please contact David on 01771 644364.
Music to Our Ears
When the festive season is nothing but a distant memory, 2006 already has some very special treats in store for all classical music enthusiasts. Award winning local concert pianist Joseph Long will be performing with Aberdeen Choral Society at their spring concert on 21st March and Grampian Sinfonietta on 16th May. Both concerts are in the Music Hall. Full programme details for these concerts are not available yet, but Joseph will be playing Mozart concertos at both (No. 13 at the earlier concert and No. 27 at the later one).
St Dunstans Charity
Are you an ex-serviceman or woman with a visual impairment?
St Dunstans, a national charity was founded during the first world war by newspaper proprietor Sir Arthur Pearson. Its objective is to support ex-servicemen and women who have a serious sight loss. The Charity can help in a range of areas including, rehabilitation & training, nursing care, respite, holidays, housing and welfare.
Currently the Charity has over 30 members in Scotland and has room for many more. The Charity also administers the Diana Gubbay Trust, which was set up in 1971 to support men & women of the Emergency Services (Police, Fire & Ambulance), who have suffered severe sight loss whilst on duty.
If you feel you fit the criteria of any of the above or would like to know more please get in touch with Ali Reid User Representative for Aberdeenshires on the GSB Board:
Ally Reid, 29 Farrochie Park, Stonehaven AB39 2WU
Tel 01569 762046, Mobile 07984 403977
Email ally.reid@tiscali.co.uk
To contact the Society please phone 01224 625622; or write to: Grampian Society for the Blind, 21 John Street, Aberdeen, AB25 1BT, or send an e-mail to info@grampianblind.org