Learning that you are going to lose your sight or living with a deteriorating eye condition can be at best a daunting, at worst a devastating, experience.

But for the visually impaired in Southend, there is help out there in the shape of a small, dedicated organisation which has been providing help, support and advice since 1958.

Southend Blind Welfare Organisation is celebrating its Diamond Jubilee throughout 2018 and will be sharing with its supporters- and the wider public - its history, the changes it’s making and the charity’s future plans.

Figures show that in 2014, there were around 290,000 people registered as blind or partially sighted in England. This number is set to grow as the population ages and lifestyle issues contribute to eye conditions. The Southend Blind Welfare Organisation plays a vital role in making sure people across the borough of Southend who are living with visual impairment have access to help and equipment to make every day life easier and happier.

The charity, first set up by two Southend Round Table 106 members, Bob Gordon and Norman Reeves, six decades ago, is now based in Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff.

Bob and Norman saw the need for a local charity that would help and support the growing number of people in Southend who were blind or partially sighted.

Bob and his wife Joan ran things almost singlehandedly for the next 25 years and the association with the 106 Round Table is as strong today as it was then.

From its Hamlet Court Road base, the charity runs clubs, coffee mornings, organises trips, offers equipment to buy or hire and has a wealth of knowledge and experience to offer to anyone needing help with macular conditions or blindness.

There is even a blind and visually impaired bowling team which competes regularly in competitions.

Everyone, young or old, is welcome. Many of the charity’s volunteers have come to get help and advice and stayed to help others.

Echo: Early days- volunteer Sheila Acock works on a Perkins Brailler in the charity’s old Portakabin at Elkington House.

With grants and funding from the National Lottery, the ROSCA trust, Southend Round Table 106, Carriers for Causes and Tesco, the charity has refurbished its centre and now has space to see and support more people, run IT sessions, display equipment, and develop for the future.

With this refurbishment, comes a new look and name for the community services division of the charity - ‘Southend In Sight’. The Hamlet Court Road premises, where the charity also runs a shop, has been given a facelift and now proudly displays new yellow and blue signage, making it very visible.

The members and regular users of the charity’s services and clubs were all thoroughly consulted to make sure that the colours and name meant something to them and to ensure it was easily read and understood by its users and those seeking its help.

Lucy Martin took over as CEO of the charity in November 2015. She has a wealth of experience in the local charity sector having previously worked for Southend’s homeless charity, Harp. She is excited about the future and the new challenges and opportunities the charity faces: ‘We are thrilled to have a new space for people to visit and get the right support at the right time,” said Lucy.

“Many of our volunteers live with sight loss and their advice and guidance is so important to people needing our help.

“Our community services, Southend In Sight, will continue to enable people to remain independent, keep connected and informed.”

When the charity first started out, there was little in the way of tools to make life easier for the visually impaired. Today advancements in new technology are enabling visually impaired people to engage with and access all manner of activities, tasks and work. Lucy explained: “At our new centre, we can demonstrate the fantastic equipment now on offer that can make a real difference to people’s everyday lives.

“We have great IT software, mobile phones, large print keyboards, magnifiers, audio, that are all available to hire or buy.”

The charity has come a long way since its early days when it was based out of a Portacabin in the grounds of Elkington House on Imperial Avenue.

Echo: Southend In Sight relaunch - Cutting the ribbon are Coralie West, Nigel Gayner (ROSCA trust), Matthew Pinnock, Mayor councillor Derek Jarvis, Mayoress Val Jarvis, David Hurst chair of trustees, Keith Dowson and Lucy Martin CEO

Southend Blind Welfare bought the house in the late 1950s as a Home for the Blind. Today it is a friendly, comfortable residential care home for up to 25 residents, specialising in care for the visually impaired. It was named Elkington House after Daphne Elkington, a social worker who devoted her whole working life to improving the lives of the visually impaired in Southend. She worked tirelessly to support the charity and laid the foundations that are still being built on today. A stained glass window in the dining room commemorates her involvement with the charity.

The charity also runs a hospital liaison service. Staff and volunteers are on hand at Southend Hospital’s Eye Clinic to provide information about the services and help available to those newly diagnosed with eye conditions. This may be the first contact someone has with the charity and it can offer vital support at a stressful time.

David Hurst, chairman of the charity’s Board of Trustees, added: “Expectations of us as a charity have changed over the last six decades and as we look to the future, it’s appropriate we do so answering the expectations of today.

“So as we celebrate our Diamond Jubilee we relaunch our community services division as Southend In Sight, a new name for the new challenges ahead in the digital age.

“The new centre will be the place to go for all your needs if you are living with sight loss.

“Our name may have changed, but it’s what you do that makes a difference - our team of volunteers and staff certainly do that. In the future, Southend In Sight will reach out further into the community.’ David wants to stress that Southend Blind Welfare Organisation has always been and remains a local, independent charity offering advice, social activities and practical help through clubs, hospital liaison and a team of volunteers who work tirelessly to make people’s experience of sight loss as stress free and straightforward as possible. “Southend In Sight will continue this tradition and make a significant contribution to the lives of the visually impaired in Southend,” he said.

To find out more about the charity and how it could help you, visit www.southendinsight.org.uk or call 01702 342131 or email info@southendinsight.org.uk