4Sight Vision Support Receives The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service
Bognor-based 4Sight Vision Support is delighted to announce that it has been honoured with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK. The recipients of this prestigious Award, which aims to recognise outstanding work by volunteer groups to benefit their local communities, were announced on the morning of Wednesday 2 June 2021.
4Sight Vision Support provides free advice, support and specialist information to blind and sight impaired residents throughout West Sussex. Its team of over 200 volunteers undertakes many diverse roles in helping the Charity deliver its services to over 2,000 people aged 4 to 100+ each year. Last year volunteers offered over 1000 hours which included over 5000 phone calls to members, working to help people with sight loss to stay active and independent and feel less isolated during the most challenging and uncertain times. In this respect, the Charity is doubly honoured to receive an additional ‘Special Recognition – Covid 19′ Commendation, awarded to those who provided impactful support to the community in response to the pandemic.
Photo of 4Sight Vision Support volunteers at event in 2019.
Nik Demetriades, Chief Executive Officer at 4Sight Vision Support comments, “We are very proud of our amazing team of dedicated volunteers; they and their hundreds of predecessors have always been at the heart of this Charity’s work. It is particularly profound to receive the Award in this our 100th Anniversary year, especially after the recent challenges we have faced. Just a couple of examples of our volunteers’ efforts include the continuation of an invaluable service by repairing talking watches remotely, and a team that packed nearly 2000 Kindness Packs which contained a range of items including large print crosswords, tea and biscuits or activity books and hot chocolate for its younger members.”
Volunteer Coordinator Karen Mclachlan added, “From making regular welfare calls to members, to supporting with virtual clubs, making tea and chatting to members at our Social clubs, packing newsletters, to driving our minibuses; all our volunteers are invaluable and we are truly grateful for everything they do to support the Charity and its members and all the staff . I know that this news will mean so much to each and every one of them!”
4Sight Vision Support is one of only four charities in West Sussex to receive the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service this year, out of a total of 241 charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups across the UK. The Award was created in 2002 to celebrate The Queen’s Golden Jubilee and recipients are announced each year on 2nd June, the anniversary of The Queen’s Coronation.
Representatives of 4Sight Vision Support will receive the award crystal and certificate from The Lord-Lieutenant of West Sussex, Mrs Susan Pyper later this summer. Furthermore two volunteers will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May 2022 (depending on restrictions at the time), along with other recipients of this year’s Award.
End
Notes to Editors
It is estimated that there are over 2 million people living with sight loss in the UK, and over 35,000 people living with sight loss or low vision in West Sussex (RNIB West Sussex Data 2020).
4Sight Vision Support is a registered charity founded in 1921. The charity provides face-to-face specialist advice and support to over 2,000 people living with sight loss in West Sussex each year. 4Sight Vision Support also supports parents, carers and other family members whose lives are impacted by sight loss. It works across West Sussex and all of its services are free. Its holistic and person-centred approach ensures that a diagnosis of sight loss is not a one-way road to loss of independence and reduced health and wellbeing outcomes: it delivers outreach services in urban and rural settings, social support, emotional support and advocacy, advice on daily living aids and accessible technology, transport for social activities, as well as eye health information, including preventative advice to help people retain and preserve their sight. 4Sight Vision Support achieves this with a small, highly skilled and dedicated workforce, and with the support of a team of over 200 volunteers. It also runs 30 social/activity clubs and peer support groups across the county.
Further Information
Please contact Jessica Passmore, Marketing & Communications Officer / Community Fundraiser, jessica.passmore@4Sight.org.uk or 01243 838001, or Cathy Clark, Fundraising Volunteer fundraisingvolunteer@4Sight.org.uk Interviews welcome.
Branding guidelines:
- Always use ‘4Sight Vision Support’ in full not ‘4SIGHT’ or ‘4 Sight’
- Charity Number: 1075447
- Use logo file above (if not suitable format, please contact the Marketing Communication Officer or Fundraising Volunteer.)
The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service
- Lord-Lieutenants represent the monarch in each of the UK’s ceremonial counties. 2. This year there were 241 recipients of The Queen’s Award Voluntary Service from across the UK and Channel Islands.
- More information on the recipients and the Award can be found on the Government website at www.gov.uk/queens-award-for-voluntary-service
- Full details on how to nominate are available on the Government website at https://qavs.culture.gov.uk/
- Nominations for the 2022 awards close on 15 September 2021
Join our mailing list
If you would like to receive regular news and updates about our work, then you can sign up to our mailing list.