Sutton Vision celebrates after receiving £350k from the National Lottery to further empower and enable people living with blindness and vision impairments in the London Borough of Sutton.
Local community group, Sutton Vision, is today celebrating after being awarded almost £350,000 of funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, to support its work with people living with visual impairment. The charity, based in Robin Hood Lane Sutton, will use the funding to extend its existing services, increase and diversify who they help and improve the technology they provide in their Resource Centre.
A mixed VI tennis session offered through Sutton Vision community outreach
Sutton Vision was established in 1965 to provide people living with visual impairment with a wide range of services to enable and empower them to live independent and full lives. The organisation is run by 5 staff who work part-time, and 50 volunteers, including an active Board of Trustees.
The new funding will allow Sutton Vision to expand the services offered to current members and extend the support to a greater range of Sutton residents. Specifically, this funding will enable them to:
- Diversify the range of services offered to blind and visually impaired people across their community to include new events, technologies and support services.
- Extend the volume of people supported in the community to reach a more diverse range of people living with visual impairment.
- Make significant improvements to their resource centre creating a vibrant hub for the Sutton Vision community.
Michael Parsons, Chair of Sutton Vision, says: “We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way. Now, thanks to National Lottery players, we will be able to reach significantly more people with our services. Independence and well-being are at the heart of our work, and our goal with this funding is to reduce isolation and support those with visual impairment to become more independent through visual aids, technology and social interaction.”
Erica, one of our Sutton Vision volunteers, with her guide dog Dottie
Erica Grimsey, volunteer at Sutton Vision, says: “As a volunteer for Sutton Vision, I know that isolation is a huge challenge for people newly diagnosed with visual impairment. This new funding will allow us to offer an increased and a more diverse set of volunteer-led peer groups. These groups offer support, assurance and friendship; they and are so important, particularly after the COVID-19 lockdowns.”
Helen Bushell, Senior Head of Regional Funding for London, South East & East at The National Lottery Community Fund said; “It is great to see the work Sutton Vision are doing to support people living with visual impairment to become more independent. Thanks to National Lottery players, projects such as this across the country can expand their reach within their communities, bring people together and combat social isolation.”
Sutton Vision VI Leisure Group who were recently able to meet at the Sutton Vision office.
The National Lottery Community Fund distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes and over the last year has awarded over half a billion pounds of life-changing funding to communities across the UK. National Lottery players raise £36 million each week for good causes throughout the UK.
For more information please visit: www.suttonvision.org.uk/lottery
Ends
Contact at Sutton Vision
Tegan Jones (07977 300414) or TeganJones@suttonvision.org.uk
Notes to Editors:
About The National Lottery Community Fund
We are the largest community funder in the UK – we’re proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. National Lottery players raise £36 million each week for good causes throughout the UK. Since June 2004, we have made over 200,000 grants and awarded over £9 billion to projects that have benefited millions of people.
We are passionate about funding great ideas that matter to communities and make a difference to people’s lives. At the heart of everything we do is the belief that when people are in the lead, communities thrive. Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, our funding is open to everyone. We’re privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life.
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About Sutton Vision
Sutton Vision is a registered charity who have been supporting people who are blind or partially sighted in the London Borough of Sutton since 1965. We are passionate about our mission to help enable and empower people with sight loss to lead independent and full lives.
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