Eden Sight Support

About Eden Sight Support

Eden Sight Support was founded in 1979 and is a registered charity with a formal constitution. Its purpose is to help vision-impaired people in the district of Eden (the main towns of which are Penrith , Appleby and Alston). It operates from a rented office in Mostyn Hall, Friargate, Penrith, 3 minutes walk from the town centre. At the present time, the office opens for 4 hours each Tuesday, with an answer phone service being available for the rest of the week. The office is located conveniently on the ground floor.

It raises all its income from the public, through a variety of traditional sources such as box collections, events, and especially in recent years from interest from a legacy . It receives no funding from local or national government.

Eden Sight Support has a card index of about 100 vision-impaired people in Eden who use its services from time to time. However official statistics indicate that there are some 300 registered blind and partially-sighted people in Eden. Furthermore, it is widely recognised that at least a similar number of people experience severe sight problems but are not officially registered.

Eden Sight Support has adopted the following Mission Statement:-

Eden Sight Support exists to provide support for vision impaired people in the district of Eden. It believes vision impaired people should not be disadvantaged through disability, low income or lack of knowledge but should have access to:

• Support through home visits, subsidised and personalised transport ,and social activities,in order to minimise isolation,
• Training in new skills - especially computer and internet skills
• Goods and services which will minimise the impact of their visual-impairment.- for example good quality magnifiers and books in audio format
• Help provided by statutory authorities