Our Voice – July 2024

A note from Team CV Our values are the key to true success.

The staff team at Croydon Vision is motivated by a clear set of key values; awareness, compassion, teamwork, diversity and integrity. These underpin everything we do and everything we want to achieve. So in this Our Voice I’d like to begin by sharing what these values mean to the Staff Team and how they translate into intention and action each and every month, week and minute that we spend cultivating our vibrant community.

Clara, Marketing and Engagement Officer: I identify strongly with the values here at Croydon Vision, which do resonate with my personal beliefs and inspire me to contribute positively and meaningfully to our community. We are a close-knit team, with everyone supporting and helping each other. I think this is the aspect of Croydon Vision that I like and admire the most.

Ayeza, Children and Young People Officer: At CV, our core values are fundamental to our culture and guide our interactions with both 3 members and with each other. Awareness and integrity ensures we handle every interaction with honesty and a deep understanding of others’ needs. Compassion shapes our approach to various situations, allowing us to provide the best support and care. Diversity is clearly reflected in our membership, staff, and volunteers, and means we have a range of perspectives and experiences that enhance our community. Teamwork is central to Croydon Vision’s success, enabling us to achieve significant impact over time. Perhaps the greatest strength of our team lies in our ability to come together to overcome challenges and achieve our goals. Our culture fosters an inclusive and supportive environment, where individuals can transition from merely surviving to truly thriving. We are a strong team that consistently collaborates to ensure success in all endeavours. Additionally, everyone feels valued and empowered to reach their full potential, contributing to the overall mission and vision of Croydon Vision.

Ancella George, Working Age/Employment Advisor: Our values are an integral part of the work we do. Without a combination of all these values, our members would not be getting what they have signed up for. Working together as a team further enhances productivity and encourages growth amongst the staff. Our values encourage resilience, hard work and wisdom, to help us to overcome any challenges that may arise. I applaud our team for working in collaboration for the betterment of our community and for empowering individuals with sight loss.

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT BEDFORD HALL, AND BEYOND

Multi-buy discount – On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday you can participate in two social groups for £8. On Wednesday the cost for two activities is £10.

Outreach & Home Visits:

We provide home visit service 4 days a week, if you know someone in need, do refer, please call reception or send an email to info@croydonvision.org.uk. Lunch and transport are available Monday to Thursday and can be booked via reception on 020 8688 2486. Lunch price: £7 (£5 main course and £3 dessert). Transport price: £8 both ways (£4 one way).

Other services and activities you can book via reception:

• Activities for Children & Young People – weekly, half term and summer activities – day trips, workshops on social and life skills, development and wellbeing.
• Working Age group and one-to-one meetings (career development, CV writing, volunteering)
• Accessibility software training for Fusion and NVDA at CV (£10/hour)
• Accessibility Tech training home visits – please refer to tech price list at reception
• From July 2024, Shalini’s cooking class will alternate each week between classes on Mondays and Wednesdays.
• Low Vision Clinic: (monthly) 25th July, 22nd August, 26th September, book with reception for an appointment
• Chiropody: (monthly) Call reception to arrange an appointment
• Croydon Glaucoma Support Meeting: 5th August, 7th October 2-3.30pm Bedford Hall
• Macular support group meeting: 8th July, 12th August, 9th September 2-3.30 Bedford Hall
• Living With Sight Loss workshop: 9th August, 13th September
• Counselling – every Thursday 9am-5pm *Cost £19/Request with Reception to join the waiting list

Summer Excursions

As the summer is heating up, our year round excursions include fun indoor and outdoor trips, such as Brighton beach (Friday 12th July),
Spa Valley Railway (Tuesday 23rd July), Eastbourne (Friday 23rd August) theatres like The Globe or Churchill theatre and delicious restaurant lunches. Members are encouraged to bring a family member or friend to support at no cost. If you are interested in booking or would like the full excursion programme, please call or see reception where you can get a physical or electronic copy via email.

Calling Croydon Vision – 020 8688 2486

Croydon Vision’s opening hours are Monday-Thursday, 8:30am-4pm and appointments or excursions on Fridays. Our lines may be busy at times, so if you are unable to get through and you’d like to make a booking, please leave a message and we’ll return your call. Remember, you’ll need to book lunch by 10am on the day you wish to reserve and allow 24 hours notice for transport booking.

For Hall Hire enquiries email hallhire@croydonvision.org.uk

Accessible documents:

Our members are at the heart of our community and so we want you to be able to access our latest strategy document, which is now available in audio format on our website: croydonvision.org.uk/downloads/

MEMBER VOICES: Kings Award Garden Party Celebrations

In May we were delighted to celebrate being awarded The Kings Award with everyone who forms our vibrant community. We spoke to a few of the members who were in attendance, about the memories they’ll never forget from this special day.

Abiodun was struck by the happiness that filled the air, “When we come together at Croydon Vision, it is a happy union. Everyone is happy, they gave us food, drink, flowers at the Garden Party it was so beautiful.”

Heather loved the way we filled the hall with flowers, “I walked into the most beautiful room of white tablecloths and beautiful blue glasses in a circle on the table and the stage was a riot of fresh flowers and a beautiful archway of flowers. The room was filled with fresh flowers on every table. They smelt beautiful and we enjoyed being shown how to make bouquets.”

Mrs Samuel loved how sociable it was, “The food was good and it was also special being with my friends at the Garden Party.”

Isaac can’t wait for our next big event, “It was good to see everyone at the Garden Party, and the award and recognition of our volunteers. It would be nice to have these events more often!”

VOLUNTEER VOICE: Celebrating our Volunteers in style

Volunteers week is a time when we come together, to express an even BIGGER thank you to our volunteers. Together with staff, they make Croydon Vision such a lively and supportive community.This year we held a basket weaving and herb planting workshop and ran a wellbeing and mental health session. And of course, there was a pretty special celebration, with a pretty special cake too! We spoke to a selection of our Volunteers about how the week made them feel…

Bharat has a strong belief that as human beings helping out is important, so that’s what he and his fellow volunteers do. Volunteer’s Week showcased the work they do, which felt great. Theo thought it was a really special few days. He felt appreciated, which was rewarding for him. Jordan felt really happy at the end of Volunteers Week. Members and Staff showing their appreciation made him feel good. Mohamed found that Volunteers Week made him feel like CV really cared about him as an individual. He was glad to be involved and it made me feel special, especially since this was the first time he’s been involved in a Volunteers Week

TECH KNOW-HOW: Daniel is teaching and learning at the same time

Daniel 22, is the Croydon Vision Tech Officer, who is passionate about technology and how it can be used to make the world more accessible for people living with sight loss. He’s also grateful that, as well as being able to help and teach our members, he’s learnt a lot himself along the way, and found new perspectives on what’s possible.

Developing a role. After completing his degree in Computer Scienceat DMU in Leicester in 2022, Daniel applied for a host of different jobs in the tech space. Happily, for him and us, Croydon Vision was where he landed and he’s been assisting and empowering our members ever since. Initially, Daniel was training members on how to use accessible tech but as his role has developed, he’s been able to offer tech support on software and devices too. “Say someone’s phone is receiving phone calls without ringing, or their laptop won’t connect to the internet, then I can help with that.” explains Daniel, “I
feel proud to make a difference to our members’ lives, no matter how small, and I love to solve problems!”

A passion for new developments. As we’re in the technology age, there’s never been a better time to make the most of accessible tech, and Daniel likes to keep abreast of the latest developments. “New devices and software are coming out all the time,” he enthuses, “and the best thing is that as new developments are released, previous versions – which are still good – become more affordable.”

Ready to help! When it comes to helping our members, Daniel is keen for members to know that his services are available. Once someone gets in touch, Daniel arranges an appointment, either at Bedford Hall or in an individual’s home if that’s more convenient. “One recent example is a lady I met with at her house,” Daniel explains, “I was able to connect her smart television to her laptop and her Alexa, so she can now use her voice to control her television. I would say her mind was blown by that, and I must say I surprised myself a bit too!”

Applying determination to problem-solving. Daniel’s approach to helping people solve their problems is methodical and thorough. And if he can’t solve an issue, he can help connect the member with someone who can and explain the problem on their behalf.

Fresh perspectives. Daniel didn’t have any experience working with people with sight loss before this job, and he’s learnt a lot in the process. “I’ve met a lot of wonderful members, who’ve been able to push through their sight loss to keep on living and be very successful. I’ve been so impressed. There’s one young member I’ve been working with; he is so sharp! He loves chess and he solved the tactile Rubik’s cube we have here in less than a minute!”

Looking to the future. Daniel suspects that advances in AI in general will boost the capabilities of Siri, Alexa and other personal assistants like them, and he predicts a huge boom in accessible tech in the next 5-10 years. In the meantime, he’s loving his role at Croydon Vision. “Being able to help people – especially with tech – is what I like and I’m so happy to get paid to do that! I’ve been able to learn from our members while also teaching them as well, they’ve helped me to build patience, understanding and a different perspective. Working here makes me feel so grateful.”

To arrange a chat with Daniel please call reception on 020 8688 2486 or email daniel.ojobo@croydonvision.org.uk

To listen to Daniel’s Croydon Vision podcast please visit:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2dirBLVzZgTkBd6Mxhfeq3
Apple Podcast: Our Voice on Apple Podcasts

PERSONAL GROWTH: The joys of being together

The NHS tells us that socialising helps reduce feelings of loneliness. It can also help to sharpen memory and cognitive skills, increase your sense of happiness and well-being, and may even help you live longer.

Research from the World Health Organization goes as far as to suggest loneliness is as bad for people’s health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. They have declared loneliness a “global public health concern”, so we’re glad to be doing our bit to tackle loneliness at Croydon Vision.

Our social groups, held at Bedford Hall on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays are lively occasions, where people can share stories, experiences and laughs too. We also run lots of activities including drama, cooking, quizzes and keep fit.

If you’ve never attended one of our social groups, or our activities, perhaps the following feedback we’ve collected from some of our regulars, might persuade you to come along…

“I have glaucoma, I like to go to keep fit and I really benefit from the excursions. Because I’m on my own I appreciate the company.” Kaye

“I recently had a stroke so coming here for the exercise and stretching is very beneficial. I have a very bad back so it helps it. I also come for the dancing with two canes and I move myself!” Pearl

“Croydon Vision is very good for my mental health. If you’re around others the same as you – you don’t feel so alone.” Isaac

“As Muhammad has been attending activities and workshops regularly at CV, we have noticed great improvements in his social interaction and energy! He interacts more with his siblings and we’ve seen an increase in his vocabulary. He’s picked up new words from his peers at CV during games such as articulate and Ker-Plunk!” A parent of one of our younger members.

“I live alone in my flat, so when I come to Croydon Vision I relax. Without this place life would be boring.” Abiodun

Our activities for children and young people are lots of fun. These children are getting creative and have their thumbs up!

Sounds good? Take a look at What’s Happening at Bedford Hall to see the full list of weekly activities. Then to book your place, or transport to get here, call Reception on 020 8688 2486

CROYDON VISION SPORTS QUIZ

Thanks to the Olympics, the Euros, Wimbledon and more this is shaping up to be a terrific summer of sports. So how about testing your sporting knowledge?

1. Where did the first modern Summer Olympic games take place in 1896?
2. Which boxer did Muhammad Ali fight in ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’?
3. Which sport takes place in a velodrome?
4. What is the national sport of Japan?
5. What country is tennis player Roger Federer from?
6. In karate, what colour belt comes right before black?
7. How many players are there in an Olympic hockey team?
8. Which country won the first FIFA World Cup in 1930?
9. What sport did Princess Anne compete in at the 1976 Summer Olympic Games?
10. In football, how many yards is a penalty kick taken from goal?

Thanks to members and volunteers who have helped create
quizzes for Our Voice. If you’d like to contribute, please email
your questions to mailtonewsletter@croydonvision.org.uk

Stop scrolling if you don’t want to see the answers!

Answers: 1. Athens, Greece 2. George Foreman 3. Cycling
4. Sumo wrestling 5. Switzerland 6. Brown 7. 11
8. Uruguay 9. Equestrian 10. 12 yards

FUNDRAISING, THANKS & CONTACT

New fundraising initiatives:
£780 – Counselling sessions for 12 weeks (per member)
£1,050 – Taking 12 young people with sight loss on an excursion
£2,820 – Tactile ground lights for our courtyard
£3,200 (each) – Three accessible electronic notice boards with audio
£3,265 – Route to employment programme for sight loss (x6 accessible equipment)
Why not share our wish list with friends, family or perhaps even local businesses you’re connected with?

If you’d like to donate, you can call reception on 020 8688 2486 or visit: www.justgiving.com/campaign/croydonvisionfundraising

We would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who has made donations to Croydon Vision over the last couple of months, including Andrew L, Paul H, Zabardast Restaurant, Rawlings Opticians, Millie Haircut, Farleigh Golf Club, Affogato Restaurant, and other members who wish to stay anonymous.

Fancy being in Our Voice? Email us with stories, experiences, tips and tricks and reviews, so we can share them with the rest of our community! Please submit via: info@croydonvision.org.uk

Fond farewells…
We’d like to send our sympathy and best wishes to the friends andfamily of William Norman, who passed away recently. We were glad to have him as a member of our community. He will be missed.

Croydon Vision – Charity Number: 1165086
Bedford Hall, 72-74 Wellesley Road, Croydon CR0 2AR
info@croydonvision.org.uk 020 8688 2486
Monday- Thursday: 8.30am–4pm Friday: Appointments only.