The Big Give 2023 – Double Donations to Sight Life this Christmas
Sight Life are delighted to announce that we are taking part in the Big Give for the second year from 28th November (midday) until 5th December (midday) when donations will be doubled by generous supporters as part of the campaign, including The Hospital Saturday Fund.
Our Campaign page can be found here: https://bit.ly/SightLifeGive
Sight Life will use the funds to provide vital activity provision and sessions to combat isolation and promote peer to peer support. It will also provide volunteer development to support groups and support services.
- £20 could enable a volunteer to call an isolated member through our contact line to check in on their wellbeing and invite them to join an online or in person group
- £50 could allow people with sight loss to safely enjoy a wellbeing walk with their peers
- £100 could help maintain an activity group to run over the cold winter months to prevent isolation and loneliness in the sight loss community in South Wales
- £200 could facilitate a volunteer training day to equip new volunteers with the vital skills to guide blind and partially sighted people, provide bespoke support and run groups in the community
- £500 could allow us to start a group for those who are newly diagnosed with sight loss to improve their mental wellbeing and return to independence.
Remember, donating during The Big Give campaign week will make twice the impact!
Richard Harvey, CEO of Sight Life, said:
“We want to thank everyone who has already generously donated to us before, and we hope will continue to give generously this year. One in five of us will have some degree of sight loss in our lives and the incidence of Sight Loss is going to double by 2050, so we also welcome new supporters to help us reach our funding target of £16,000 for the campaign and enable us to carry on providing vital support to the sight loss community across South Wales.
In order to access the £8,000 we have in the matching pot, we need to raise £8,000 in online donations. We hope everyone will give generously to help us reach our target and enable us to carry on the work we all feel so passionately about.
Michelle Jones, Operations Manager, said:
“If you were planning to support us this Christmas with a donation, now really is the time to make the biggest impact for our cause. Remember to set a reminder as you can only make your donation to the campaign from midday 28th November-midday on the 5th December at bit.ly/SightLifeGive. It has been a challenging year for charities and we would be really grateful if you could share with your friends and family on social media and help to spread the word.
Please note, if we are successful at reaching the target you can still make a donation if the match pot of £8,000 has been used up and Sight Life will definitely still receive your donation. You will require an email address to complete the donation form. If you need any support with making your donation online, drop into Jones Court or call 02920 398 900 and we would be happy to help.
Thank you for your support this Christmas time!”
About Sight Life
Sight Life (formerly Cardiff Institute for the Blind) supports people who are blind or partially sighted in south Wales. In 202/23 we helped more than 3,500 people in Cardiff, Swansea, RCT (Rhondda Cynon Taf), Neath and Port Talbot.
We provide statutory services to people with sight loss on behalf of the local Councils in Cardiff and Swansea.
In cooperation with the NHS, we provide a support service (ECLO: Eye Clinic Liaison Officer) for patients newly diagnosed with sight loss in University Hospital of Wales (UHW “The Heath”) in Cardiff.
Our aims are to ensure that people with sight loss can take part in all aspects of society, including work and leisure.
We offer a range of training, clubs and activities including audio-described theatre trips, confidence building, cooking, drama, employment support, fitness, gardening, IT, music, photography, rambling and yoga to people with sight loss.
Established in 1865, we are one of Wales’ oldest charities. In spring 2022 we returned to being an independent charity after being part of the UK wide RNIB Group since 2009. We have approximately a dozen staff and annual income in the region of £435,000 from statutory contracts, grants, trusts, The National Lottery, donations and legacies.
Sight Life changed its name from Cardiff Institute for the Blind in 2019 to reflect the fact that we work beyond Cardiff, including Swansea and RCT (Rhondda Cynon Taf). The name change also recognises the fact that we support people with any degree of sight loss, not only those who are blind.
Please support our work and make a donation to Sight Life by clicking donate here.
To fundraise for us please click fundraising.
To volunteer with us please click volunteering.
Thank you!
About the Big Give
About Big Give https://linktr.ee/TheBigGive
Big Give is a registered charity (1136547) that runs match funded campaigns for charities and special causes at key moments across the year. By connecting charities to match funders (like philanthropists, foundations or corporates) and the public, Big Give helps them double their donations. And, in doing so, makes an extraordinary difference to the world’s biggest challenges. It has raised more than £236m for charities, to date. It’s a simple idea – when the public donates to a charity through a Big Give campaign, it asks funders (philanthropists, foundations, government departments or corporates) to match that donation. So £50 from a member of the public becomes £100 for a good cause.
Big Give has supported more than 10,000 charities and has worked with some of the biggest names in UK philanthropy and charitable grant-making, which provide match funding, including DCMS, People’s Postcode Lottery, Candis Club Magazine, EQ Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, The Reed Foundation, The Waterloo Foundation, The Hospital Saturday Fund, The Childhood Trust and others including high-net-worth individuals such as Julia and Hans Rausing