iSightCornwall based in Truro, is a charity that provides vital services, resources and support for blind people in their local community. They have raised just under £400 in free funding through easyfundraising to date. We spoke with one of their supporters, Bethan, to find out a bit more about the charity and their fundraising.
Tell us about iSightCornwall
iSightCornwall is there to help every person with sight loss in Cornwall, regardless of age, circumstances or where they are on their sight loss journey. We aim to allow people with sight loss to do the things they want to do, be that a physical activity or experience, or support with doing day-to-day tasks which those with sight would typically take for granted, maintaining their independence. Our professional team also help individuals and their families, friends and colleagues deal with the environmental, societal and financial repercussions that often ensue due to sight loss.
The charity was founded back in 1856 to support Cornish Miners, and proudly remains the longest standing, and earliest, charity for those with impaired vision and loss of sight in Cornwall. The charity is almost completely funded through donations and every donation made, no matter how small, really can make a huge difference to someone’s life.
What does the funding raised go towards?
iSightCornwall run a range of clubs and social opportunities to help support mental and physical health, as well as safety and comfort in the home. One of the main uses for the funding is to recruit volunteers who act as Walking Buddies to help blind people get out of the house on short walks to boost their confidence and independence. We run a volunteer-lead telephone befriending service which is so important for those who feel trapped in their home due to their condition and also have a volunteer network which host the various clubs and social gatherings at the sight centre in Truro, including dancing, singing, or just an opportunity for service users to enjoy some tea and cake!
The charity will provide equipment for use at home such as talking scales and provide funded resources to help people stay in work or education after they start to lose their sight and will go above and beyond for anyone who needs it.
Why did iSightCornwall join easyfundraising?
As the name suggests, it provides such a simple method of fundraising. I personally shop online a lot and so it’s a perfect way for me to support such an important local charity without it coming out of my own pocket. The £400 generated to date has helped us continue, funding is so vital and easyfundraising provides a steady income year round.
What has the funding raised to date been used for?
The donations have been used to help expand the charity’s wellbeing activities, especially the Walking Buddy scheme which trains a volunteer in how to guide and then pairs them up with someone in their local area who wants to go on short walks but may not feel confident enough to do so.
One of the recent pairings saw a younger man paired with an older man and they began going on short walks but have now expanded to exploring new areas and it’s been so successful the man with sight loss feels confident enough to recreate the walks with his children on his own.
What is the charity fundraising towards now?
The next thing iSightCornwall are fundraising for is to help pay for visits to people’s homes who are housebound. Cornwall is so rural so it’s costly for the charity to travel around it’s vast area so we are fundraising to try and offset their costs because we will always come to visit people who need it in Cornwall, no matter how far away they may be.
How do you spread the word about easyfundraising to increase your supporter numbers?
We currently have 13 supporters who are actively raising, sharing the link on social media and sharing the videos showing how easy it is to use has been a great way of spreading the word. It’s also useful that easyfundraising will keep our supporters informed of how well we’re doing and motivate them to keep raising for us.
What is your top tip for other causes on easyfundraising to help them raise more?
Continue to talk about easyfundraising on social channels, newsletters and in person – the fact we have raised nearly £400 with minimal effort and no extra cost to any supporters is such a great message and one that we share as much as we can. The Donation Reminder tool is also a must – it makes sure that those who may forget to use easyfundraising as they shop, get alerted and can still collect a free donation for us in a click.
How you can support iSightCornwall
It’s clear what an important service iSightCornwall provides to their local community. If you would like to support them every time you shop online, you can do so by signing up as one of their supporters here.
If you represent a cause that isn’t currently registered on easyfundraising, you can register a new cause here.
To access their services or find out more about the charity please visit their website.