A CHARITY that supports blind and visually impaired people across the county has been playing Santa a little early this year, driving more than 450 miles across the county to make more than 70 deliveries a day.
Berkshire Vision decided to spread a little bit of happiness this Christmas by giving each of the 500 people it supports a Christmas gift.
Each gift has been hand-wrapped and delivered personally to their doorstep by a member of staff wishing them a Merry Christmas and checking on them.
“This year has been challenging for everyone but for people who are visually impaired it has been particularly difficult” says CEO Laura Mitchell. “That is why we wanted to deliver a gift – so that people do know there is someone out there who cares and they are not alone.”
Berkshire Vision said it wanted to thank its staff members for their help and Asda in Tilehurst.
The gifting continues the work Berkshire Vision has been doing throughout the pandemic, which began with launching a remote activities programme within two days of the announcement of lockdown designed to combat isolation and loneliness.
Activities included coffee mornings, gentle exercise and wine tasting.
They were chosen to achieve specific outcomes including minimising the effects of lockdown on social isolation, mental wellbeing and physical activity levels.
And as we head into the holiday season, Berkshire Vision has launched a telephone befriending scheme.
This provides regular calls to more than 250 of the most isolated people it supports across Berkshire, offering them support and a friendly voice to chat to.
