Sight Life calls out for votes to get a share of Tesco’s Stronger Starts fund

Sight Life has been nominated for a cash boost from the Tesco Stronger Starts scheme for a number of stores in Swansea and Neath.
Stronger Starts provides grant awards of up to £1,500 to local community projects, across the UK from token schemes in Tesco stores.

Three groups in every community have been shortlisted to receive grant awards and Tesco customers can vote for the group they think should take away the top award in their local Tesco store.

Sight Life is one of the charities on the shortlist in Neath, Ponterdawwe and Pontarddulais to provide vital social groups for people with sight loss in these areas.

“Sight Life are thrilled to have been nominated for the Tesco Stronger starts scheme in Neath, Ponterdawwe and Pontarddulais. This will provide vital funding to support our groups in these areas. One in five of us will experience sight loss in our lifetime and the incidence of sight loss is rapidly increasing in South Sight Life does not charge for its services but relies on fundraising and donations for the majority of its income. We would love people to support us by voting for us in these stores”. Richard Harvey, Sight Life CE

Voting is open in Tesco stores in Neath, Ponterdawwe and Pontarddulais for our projects from January until the end of March. Customers needs to cast their vote using a blue token given to them at the check-out each time they shop.

Tesco’s Stronger Starts – previously known as Tesco Community Grants – has already provided over £110 million to more than 60,000 projects across Britain and this is the first time Sight Life have taken part in the scheme.

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Notes to editors: · For more information please visit: tescoplc.com/strongerstarts

About Sight Life
Sight Life (formerly Cardiff Institute for the Blind) supports people who are blind or partially sighted in south Wales. In 2020/21 we helped more than 3,000 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 £440,000 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!