Below is a list of organisations and groups both national and local who provide social and leisure activities including holidays and outings, mixed social groups, men’s groups, craft classes, bowling, rambling, sailing, fishing, tandem riding, pottery, quiz events and much more. Local groups are always looking for new members with new ideas!
NATIONAL ORGANISATIONS
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BBC In Touch Programme Radio 4 Tuesday evenings 8.40pm, gives advice and news relevant to sight impaired people. |
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British Blind Sport |
01926 424247 |
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RNIB Leisure Services www.rnib.org.uk |
0845 766 9999 |
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English Blind Golf Association |
01992 525172 |
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Gardening Advice for visually impaired gardeners can be obtained from RNIB direct and from THRIVE who can be contacted at ‘Blind Gardeners’ Helpline’ |
0118 988 6668 |
COUNTY ORGANISATIONS
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East Suffolk Association for the Blind have Social Groups that meet at eight centres in Suffolk variously meeting between once and twice a month as well as having special events and outings. For details of your nearest group and transport arrangements, please contact the ESAB office on 01473 611011. |
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Optua (previously known as Rethink Disability) Provides information and help on leisure and sporting activities for those with disabilities in Suffolk. Ipswich 01473 836777 www.optua.org.uk |
Mid Suffolk groups
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Stowmarket Bowls Club |
01449 720531 |
East Suffolk groups
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Felixstowe Blind Shooters Club |
01473 278047 |
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Saxmundham Area Social Club |
01728 603142 |
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Ipswich Town Football Club |
01473 400500 |
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Ipswich Blind Society |
01473 219712 |
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East Anglia Sailing Trust |
01473 785600 |
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The Woolverstone Sailing Project at Woolverstone and Alton Water www.woolverstoneproject.org.uk |
07718 585358 |
North Suffolk groups
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Lowestoft Blind Bowls Club |
01502 589624 |
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Lowestoft VI Activities Group |
01502 513371 |
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Lowestoft Activities Group |
01502 513335 |
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Lowestoft Blind Shooters Club |
01502 585329 |
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Lowestoft Focus Group |
01502 586863 |
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Lowestoft Live Arts |
01502 585329 |
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Waveney Bowls Club |
01502 586863 |
Holidays
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Action for Blind People Holidays |
0800 915 4666 |
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Winged Fellowship Holidays www.vitalise.org.uk |
0845 330 0149 |
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Royal National Institute of the Blind www.rnib.org.uk |
0845 766 9999 |
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Creative Travel www.creative-travel.co.uk |
01503 220422 |
Other general services
Equipment
RNIB sell a variety of useful aids for people who enjoy woodwork, gardening, knitting, sewing, etc.
Games
A variety of well-known games such as dominoes, snakes and ladders, scrabble, and easy to see playing cards are available and can be purchased through the East Suffolk Association for the Blind or direct from RNIB.
Internet – Radio
ACB Radio showcases and nurtures the creativity and talents of the blind/low-vision community from many parts of the world. ACB Radio is heard by a global audience via the internet, and has visitors from over seventy countries. http://www.acbradio.org/
Talking Newspapers and Books
Please see page 29 in this information pack for contact details for Talking Newspapers and Books both locally and nationally.
Radios for the visually impaired
Some visually impaired people qualify for the long-term loan of radio or radio/cassette/CD system supplied by the British Wireless for the Blind fund. Speak with your ESAB Community Worker or contact East Suffolk Association for the Blind 01473 611011 for advice on this.
Audio Description Services.
A large number of TV programmes, Cinema and Theatre Shows now support audio described performances. This is where a narrator describes supplementary information in the silence between the spoken words to help visualise all that is going on. For TV, there are specialist TV sets or set top receivers and recorders that have this functionality built in. Please contact East Suffolk Association for the Blind 01473 611011 or speak to your Community Worker for more details. More and more Cinemas and Theatres are putting on shows with specific performances that provide this service. Please contact your local Cinema or Theatre to find out more.
Cinemas
If you are in receipt of Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance or you are registered as severely sight impaired (blind), you can apply to the Cinema Exhibitors Association for a national card that entitles you to one free ticket for a person accompanying you to the cinema. The card is valid for 1 year and is subject to an annual fee of £5.50. Application forms are available from participating cinemas or you can contact the Card Network on 0845 123 1292 for details.
To find out what audio described films are being screened in your area, you can phone 0845 056 9824 or if you have a computer with built in speakers you can have the cinema listings read aloud to you at http//www.yourlocalcinema.com/ad.speech.html.
Theatres in East Anglia having Audio Described Performances
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The New Wolsey Theatre - Ipswich www.wolseytheatre.co.uk |
01473 295911 |
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The Theatre Royal - Bury St Edmunds www.theatreroyal.org. |
01284 769505 |
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The Mercury Theatre - Colchester www.mercurytheatre.co.uk |
01206 573948 |