Berkshire Vision uses Trust donation to make members' Christmas as festive as possible

Berkshire Vision Maidenhead and Windsor has used money from the Louis Baylis Trust to pay for 110 Christmas meals for its members this year, along with presents and cards.

The organisation, which supports people with visual impairments, received £1,000 in the Trust’s latest round of donations.

“I can’t tell you how pleased our members were to receive the gifts. My phone doesn’t stop ringing with them telling me,” said president Jo Ayre.

Alongside its usual expenses, the costs for meals for more than 100 people soon stack up, said Jo.

All through lockdown the charity has sent its members a range of different cards. It also phones all of its members every two weeks.

“In general they are doing well. They say ‘If that’s how it is, we have just got to get on with it,” said Jo.

“But I see some of them are very lonely. We’ve had one or two members get very low.

“They have asked time and time again, ‘When will we be able to get back to our parties at SportsAble?’

“When I’m speaking to them I have to judge how they are and I know they appreciate the phone calls.”

Learning that members could not go home for Christmas because of tier 4 restrictions, Jo decided to phone each and every one of them before Christmas and afterwards as well.

“It takes me nearly three days,” said Jo. “Without the Louis Baylis Trust donation, we couldn’t do what we do.”

For Christmas dinner, Berkshire Vision Maidenhead and Windsor sent out a full lunch with four choices of pudding to each of its members in lieu of meeting for a sit-down meal.

The group plans to do another meal in March.

The deliveries were finished just as tier 4 restrictions were announced earlier this month.

“We have just under 40 volunteers from the Maidenhead Thames and Maidenhead Rotary clubs, and they can’t do enough for our members,” said Jo.