Wirral Society for the Blind needs your help to raise £140k for extension

Jan 28 2009 by Carrie Catterall, Wallasey News

blind

WIRRAL Society of the Blind and Partially Sighted needs your help to raise £140,000 to build its extension at Ashville Lodge, Birkenhead.

The organisation has been joined by West Kirby and Wirral Lions clubs and want Wirral News readers to donate as much money as they can towards their building fund.

WSBPS have got £55,000 so far and any money raised in this development appeal will be doubled by a grant from the Lions’ international association.

Joan Elliot, of West Kirby Lions, said: “We raise lots of money and distribute that money to whoever needs it.

“Some of our latest projects have included the Christmas Star Appeal, which managed to gather lots of toys for underprivileged children in Wirral.

“We feel this WSBPS development fund is very important so we have decided to support them fully and want everyone to help us.”

When this £140,000 target is reached, the society can extend its services.

Lynne Sedgewick, development and fundraising officer at Ashville Lodge, said: “Our aim is to offer more ICT training which could open employment doors for blind and partially sighted people.

“We would also like to offer more arts and crafts and extend our audio library.

“We are the only organisation in Wirral offering this support and we want to make sure we have the best and most accessible facilities available.

“We cater for all age groups and levels and want to become a real centre of excellence for our 20th anniversary this year.”

There are currently around 3,000 people registered blind living in Wirral but the society thinks there are even more unregistered.

Lynne added: “We average about 100 people a week and at the moment can get very cramped. This extension will allow more people to access our services.”

To help the lodge reach its £140,000 target, call 652 8877.