The Dorset Blind Association is one of so many charities which are suffering as the result of the pandemic, but it has been given a lifeline by Talbot Village Trust which has made a £10,000 donation.

Using this money, the charity was able to continue running its community support service, which cares for vulnerable members of society, some of which are isolated and alone throughout lockdown.

This service pairs a volunteer to one of Dorset Blind’s members to provide regular, ongoing friendship and practical support with daily tasks. Due to the current lockdown, Dorset Blind is also delivering vital grocery supplies and essential medicines to some of its vulnerable members.

Jonathan Holyhead, chief executive officer at Dorset Blind Association, explained, “Partially sighted individuals are already among the most vulnerable in our society; the pandemic has only made the issues these people face worse. We are so thankful to Talbot Village Trust for the grant that we received, it enabled us to continue working to deliver our community support services.”

The grant was also used to cover ongoing costs for sourcing and supplying specialist equipment designed to help people with sight loss continue independent living.

The donation came after the charity successfully applied for funding from the Trust’s COVID-19 Support Fund, which provided 120 organisations and charities in the local area with funding totalling £1.1million.

Russell Lucas-Rowe, trustee at Talbot Village Trust, added, “It is absolutely fantastic to hear that our COVID Support Fund is continuing to improve peoples’ quality of life, now that we are almost a year into the pandemic. This is exactly what the support fund was launched to do.”

Applications for the Talbot Village Trust’s £1million COVID-19 Support Fund have now closed, but the Trust is now accepting grant applications for its usual fund before the trustees meet in autumn 2021. Please go to www.talbotvillagetrust.org for more information.