Monthly Archives: March 2020

Find your Community Support!

March 31, 2020Articlecollecting prescriptions, Community Support, COVID-19 Mutual Aid UK, shopping for foodSaul Wynne

Find your Community Support

Most communities have now set up support groups to help anyone in self-isolation. This may include shopping for food and collecting prescriptions from the chemist.

I am vulnerable or self isolating, how can I request help?

If you’re a person in need of assistance, we recommend finding your local group here.

If you can’t find a local group or have trouble accessing the spreadsheet, you can contact us and we will do our best to connect you with someone.

Find your local Community helpers

The link below will take you to a page that lets you search for Communities / Help in your area, you can add your postcode or town etc, the results will be shown on a clickable map, but also on a helpful list below the map as well ( it is Facebook-based)

https://covidmutualaid.org/local-groups/

The Covid-19 Mutual Aid UK supports local community groups organising mutual aid. It provides resources and connects people to their local group.
https://covidmutualaid.org/

Who are Covid-19 Mutual Aid UK?

Covid-19 Mutual Aid UK are a group of volunteers aiming to support the network of local community groups organising to support people through the corona-virus pandemic. We are not in charge of this network and have no say over what local groups do. We exist merely to provide resources that will help them flourish.

Is Covid-19 Mutual Aid registered as or affiliated with a religious organisation, charity or political group?

We are not an organisation or charity and local groups are not officially affiliated with us. We are not affiliated to any political or religious groups, though we are united by a belief that social exclusion increases individual and community vulnerability.

Governments Extremely vulnerable Register

Support is also available through a Government Register. It is free to register if you have a medical condition that makes you Extremely vulnerable to the virus. https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-extremely-vulnerable

TPT launches COVID-19 Emergency Fund for the Sight Loss Sector!

March 31, 2020Article, News000, Emergency Fund, Sight Loss Sector, Thomas Pocklington Trust, TPT, £500, £500000Saul Wynne

TPT launches COVID-19 Emergency Fund for the Sight Loss Sector

Thomas Pocklington Trust (TPT) has just launched an emergency fund to support sight loss organisations which are providing vital services to blind and partially sighted people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

£500,000 of essential support will be available to sight loss sector organisations to allow them to continue providing critical services for the physical and emotional wellbeing of blind and partially sighted people.

Charles Colquhoun, CEO at Thomas Pocklington Trust, said: “We recognise it is a particularly unsettling time for both the country’s blind and partially sighted population and the sight loss organisations who provide vital services and support to our community.

“We have been speaking to our friends and partners across the sector, listening to their concerns and understanding the essential role these organisations play in supporting blind and partially sighted people, we have suspended our normal grant funding activities and set up this emergency fund.”

The grants, available to sight loss charities, will be for up to £10,000 pounds or the equivalent of two months’ running costs (whichever is less) for use over the next six months.

TPT has suspended its normal grant funding activities, postponed the launch of its revised grant programme and will use funds previously allocated to its normal grant programme to provide this essential support to partners in the sight loss sector.

Charles added: “The monies can be used either to cover the general running costs of the charity in the face of cashflow issues directly caused by the crisis, or to fund a project that will support the blind and partially sighted community through these difficult times.

If you would like to submit an application on behalf of your organisation, please submit an application here

For any questions you have, please email us at: grants@pocklington-trust.org.uk

“It is important to us that we are able to support people as widely as possible throughout the UK and we keep the application process as simple as possible for applicants. This is why we are capping grants at £10,000 per organisation and I am pleased to say that we will be working closely with our partners at Visionary and London Vision to ensure we can process requests as effectively and efficiently as possible.”

Organisations wishing to submit an application should visit TPT’s Emergency Fund web page.

SEEING Exhibition Project via online workshops and phone calls!

March 30, 2020NewsScience Gallery London, SEEING Exhibition Project, VICTASaul Wynne

Science Gallery London consultation workshop

Health considerations: Considering the current health emergency, we are considering other alternative forms of consultations, like online workshops and phone calls.

The Science Gallery London (SGL) and VICTA are teaming up to deliver a project as part of the SGL’s SEEING Exhibition and season of events which is hopefully launching 22 July.
This co-created artistic project requires a team of creative young adults with a vision impairment aged 18-25 years to design and lead it.

When: Starts end of April
More details on timescales are available on the application page
Who: 18 to 25 years Organisers: Science Gallery London and VICTA:
Location: Science Gallery London, London Bridge
Cost: Free – see ‘Other Practical Information’ below
Closing Date: 31 March 2020 Find out more and apply

Call for blind and partially sighted participants to consult on upcoming gallery exhibition

We are looking for blind and partially sighted participants that would be willing to take part in consultation workshops about an upcoming exhibition about ‘sight’. The gallery is an incredible space for young people, and it’s working to make their programmes and spaces accessible,

We are mainly looking for participants who are between 15 and 25 years old, but we are very flexible.

In case you are unable to attend the workshop, but you would like to contribute, please get in touch and we will arrange an alternative way.

Date: Saturday 25/04/2020
Time: 11am- 1pm
Contact: Rafie, the workshop organiser, on raffaella.cecilia.14@ucl.ac.uk

About the consultation:

Science Gallery London would like to invite a group of young people (mainly aged 15-25, but older people are welcome) to participate in a 2-hours consultation workshop about accessibility, resources and information for the upcoming exhibition ‘Seeing’ (details below). The workshop will include a presentation about the exhibition, its aims and objectives, the artworks, and the events season that will run alongside the exhibition.

The aim of the consultation is to hear what resources would be interesting for blind & partially sighted visitors and what shape that content could take. We are particularly interested in exploring with the group the scope for and interest in live audio description, tactile models, or recorded audio, amongst other forms. We would like to use the outcomes of the consultation to feed in to designing meaningful forms of content for blind and partially sighted visitors, and to create a long-term commitment within the gallery to the experience of blind and partially sighted visitors.

Who can apply?

You must be:

Registered or registrable blind or partially sighted
At least 15 on 31st March 2020
Aged 25 or under on 22nd July 2020
Able to maintain your own personal hygiene
Able to independently take medication (if applicable)

Find out more and apply

Linda Almond Volunteer of the Year Nominee Video

March 28, 2020NewsLinda Almond, Linda Almond Volunteer of the Year Nominee Video, Nominee, Volunteer of the YearSaul Wynne

Linda Almond Volunteer of the Year Nominee!

We wanted to share the video about Linda, our awesome Tennis Volunteer Co-Ordinator, that was made for the London Sports Awards 2020.

Linda Almond Volunteer of the Year Video Below!

All at Metro want to send Linda and her amazing group of volunteers our heartfelt thanks and never-ending gratitude for all their hard work, Due to you we can offer regular blind and partially sighted tennis lessons at the Islington Tennis Centre!

Tennis Volunteers always welcomed

If you want to try volunteering for Blind tennis, please Contact: Linda Almond
or call 07775 894136

Coronavirus Legal Help – Kindly Offered to Members!

March 27, 2020ArticleCoronavirus Legal Help, Coronavirus Legal Issues Help - Kindly Offered to Members!Saul Wynne

Coronavirus Legal Issues Help Offered to Members

One of our members Kala Khan who is a practising lawyer has very kindly offered to help members with legal issues regarding the Coronavirus. For Example: accessing benefits etc.

A huge thank you to Kala from all the MetroTeam, Trustees and Members.

Kala Khan contact details are below

Email: kalakhan9438@gmail.com Mobile: 07534965575 Home: 02085774444