Club for ‘blind’seeks members

A friendly lunch club for blind and partially sighted people needs new members in order to stay afloat and continue to provide a vital lifeline to combat social isolation.
By The Newsroom
Published 20th Jan 2014, 07:48 BST
Dorothy Lazenby runs a club for blind and partially sighted people in Hassocks. She is desperate for new members. Pic Steve RobardsDorothy Lazenby runs a club for blind and partially sighted people in Hassocks. She is desperate for new members. Pic Steve Robards
Dorothy Lazenby runs a club for blind and partially sighted people in Hassocks. She is desperate for new members. Pic Steve Robards

The Hassocks based club, which is run through the charity 4Sight, meets in St Francis church hall and offers support and companionship for people from a wide catchment, including Burgess Hill and Hurstpierpoint. Blind and partially sighted members are picked up by car and taken to the club and offered lunch. There are invited speakers from time to time and a variety of activities.

Organiser Dorothy Lazenby (pictured) said: “We have two clubs, one in Clayton and the other in Hassocks and the Hassocks club needs more members. “We thought we might have to close the clubs last year due to funding cuts, which have affected charities all over the UK, but we have received such generous support from individuals and organisations that we are keen to keep going.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Dorothy, who has been involved in the Hassocks and Clayton clubs for nearly 24 years, added: “We’ve tried to get clinics and doctors’ surgeries to tell people about us but we are not getting the referrals to the Hassocks club that we used to.”

The club meets from 10.30am to 2.15pm every other Wednesday. The Yews in Boltro Road, Haywards Heath, offers a similar lunch club through 4Sight on the second and fourth Friday in the month from 10am to 2.30pm. Jane Aston, who runs the club at the Yews, said: “We are doing well but we have lost one or two members of late and would always welcome more people.”

If you would like to attend the Hassocks club, please call Dorothy Lazenby on 01444 450947. For The Yews, call Jane Aston on 07599518887.

Related topics:Hassocks