Concerto 2 audio equipment

Hastings blind people benefit from grant

Please help spread the word to anyone you know who is blind: British Wireless for the Blind Fund (BWBF), which provides specially adapted audio equipment to blind and partially sighted people across the UK, will put a £1,000 grant from the Magdalen and Lasher Charity to good use in Hastings, as they explain. 

The money will be used to provide BWBF’s popular multimedia player, the Concerto 2, to some of the town’s visually impaired people. As well as an easy-to-use radio, the set also has a CD player, tape deck, SD card slot and USB slot for users to play their audio content in whichever format they choose.

Many visually impaired people are unable to read a newspaper or watch the television, and often spend a lot of time alone at home, so a radio is their way of accessing news, music, entertainment and information. For many who often lead lonely lives, it can also provide companionship.

British Wireless is currently supporting almost 350 people in East Sussex, but there are around 600 more who are eligible for its service but not accessing it.

BWBF trusts officer Frances Fielding said: “We are so grateful for this grant and would like to thank the Magdalen and Lasher Charity for its support.

“We know from research we have undertaken that there are many more people we could be helping in East Sussex, so we hope this grant could help us reach some of them.

“As we receive no government funding, we rely on donations such as this to continue providing our service.

“Radio can be a vital lifeline to someone who has sight loss.”

To qualify for a radio, recipients must be registered blind or partially sighted, over the age of eight, resident in the UK and in receipt of a means-tested benefit.

If people don’t qualify for a BWBF radio on free loan, they can purchase one from our sister company, BWBF Direct, which donates all its profits back to the charity. To find out more, go to bwbfdirect.co.uk

To find out more about British Wireless for the Blind Fund, follow us on Twitter @BritishWireless, like us on Facebook or go to the  website.

The Magdalen and Lasher Charity was founded in the thirteenth century and has been assisting families, schools and people in need in Hastings since then. It has donated £1,000 to BWBF to help people living in the area with sight loss.

Also in: Campaigns