Perthshire blind society expanding its role

TIMES are tough for all charities, with many tightening the purse strings and cutting back on their work. But Perth and Kinross Society for the Blind, while also facing these pressures, is actually planning to expand its service to help more people.

That commitment has been cemented with the addition of a member of staff, voluntary service worker Gillian Murdach, to reach out to more potential users and add to the 800 already on its books.

And she has been inundated with work to expand and assist the society.

Joe Wiggins from the 145-year-old charitable society told the PA that, as well as expanding the remit, it is re-evaluating what it does, as well as aiming to link up with other groups, charities and health care organisations to make the service as relevant and effective as it can be.

He explained: “The society has been going for more than 140 years and in that time things have changed dramatically, especially in the last few years.

“We have well-established lunch clubs, meetings and a number of services we run here at the St Paul’s Centre but we’re also about getting people out and about.”

He added that society members travelled to base camp at Mount Everest in October – two of the team of eight were totally blind.

He said: “This challenge is very much what we aim for at the society, to break down barriers.”

The society is often the first port of call for many people who have been diagnosed with a visual impairment, not least because it acts as an agent for Perth and Kinross Council.

Work can be as simple as taking someone for eye tests – a stressful occasion for many facing a possible life-changing diagnosis – and from there starting them on a path to accessing information, aids and other support they may need.

This involves work with occupational therapists, the Department of Work and Pensions and social work departments.

But, Joe added, PKSB is also making more of its prevention work.

“More and more emphasis is being put on preventing visual impairments such as macular degeneration,” he said.

“There are so many links being found between poor diet and smoking with blindness that it’s important we focus on that too.

“As there is a growing aged population, that area is only going to expand so information now can help avoid problems in the future.”

He said the society has also started visual awareness training with some schools and transport providers, giving those involved in these areas an insight into visual impairment and how they can help.

And PKSB is looking to forge stronger links with other charities and groups, particularly as some visual impairments can be caused by illnesses or conditions.

“For me it makes sense to work together because there are overlaps and there’s only so much one charity can do, particularly if it’s funded entirely by the public as we are,” said Joe.

“There are also benefits too for the user because pooling our resources, even in a small way, can make it a more joined up approach to helping them.”

More information on PKSB can be found online at www.pksb.org, or by calling into the St Paul’s Centre in New Row, Perth.