Dear Eye Matter members and friends,
Happy New Year and thank you for being a part of Eye Matter’s busy and brilliant 2023.
Eye Matter was delighted to welcome many new members and volunteers as the charity continued to grow and reach more visually impaired people.
In November we launched our new website www.eyematter.org.uk which offers PayPal and has a brand-new donate button. We are also now registered for Gift Aid.
Eye Matter was also delighted to add Visionary www.visionary.org.uk to our list of partners.
Members Matter,
In the past 12 months, Eye Matter members have been invited to join over 200 free Zoom events and 36 in person outings.
Our packed Zoom timetable has featured favourites including audio described yoga with Jackie, Zumba with Louise from Illuminate Freedom, Neurobics with Steve Wax, drama and confidence building with Victoria Hogg, VI cookery, and our ever-popular Bookworms book club.
Across 2023, Eye Matter welcomed insightful and inspiring talks and concerts, from friends including our very own “Musical” Mark Pampel, and VI snowboarder Haren Thillainathan. Eye Matter member Katriona Taylor wowed us online and in person at her album launch at Piano Smithfield in September which members were thrilled to attend.
Peer Support Matters
Eye Matter’s twice weekly “fun and friendly social hours” continued to bring members together to laugh and chat in an informal and relaxed Zoom room whilst monthly “Bounce” meetings have been another space for members to share problems and find solutions or workarounds for a visually impaired life.
Volunteers have generously offered fellow members remote iPhone Voice Over training which has been of great benefit to many.
Living Well Matters
In partnership with RNIB, Eye Matter delivered two “Living Well with Sight Loss” courses.
These popular and practical courses provided attendees the opportunity to learn about available support, including technology, mobility and transport with much more besides. Our next course will be held in May.
Outings Matter
Across the year, Members enjoyed some fantastic outings to Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Ronnie Scotts, and London Zoo.
Tideway Sailability facilitated members’ sailing days at Surrey Docks Watersports Centre! Members have also loved being welcomed by accessible museum tours, including at the Wellcome Collection, at Tate Modern, Tate Britain and the Postal Museum.
Members also loved joining in the first ever Eye Matter sports day in June, taking part in VI tennis, VI football, VI cricket, and having a wonderful community day including a community picnic.
In October, members were delighted to be guests of RNIB and Netflix at the premiere of “All the Light We Cannot See” at the Everyman, Broadgate.
We’ve also been treated to critically acclaimed theatre and accompanying touch tours of audio-described performances including “Guys and Dolls”(Bridge theatre), “Standing at the Sky’s Edge (National Theatre), “Groundhog Day” (The Old Vic) and La Cage au Folles (Regents Park Open Air theatre). More than 30 Eye Matter members and friends have just been thrilled to attend “Peter Pan” at London’s Palladium, this brilliant and hilarious production has given everyone the best start to 2024’s theatre going!
And finally, Eye Matter enjoyed a fabulous festive season with a concert from the Eye Matter Singers in early December which was rapturously received and featured some glorious solos. Our thanks to Kevin Satizabal, our pianist and Linn Davies, our singing teacher for all of their hard work.
Our “Winter Extravaganza” held at The Crown Hotel, Cricklewood, was a brilliant day filled with dining and dancing, laughter, and fun.
Thank you for being a part of our Eye Matter year and we can’t wait to see you either online or in person very soon.
Lots of love, Suzie and the Eye Matter team