Spring into action
Help us grow services for blind and vision impaired people across the UK
Local or specialist vision loss charities are a lifeline, providing advice and services for those needing support for their physical, mental and economic wellbeing. But the cost-of-living crisis means many are facing more challenging times.
Our funding helps grow these bright ideas.
Help vision loss charities
All charities are facing challenging times. Demand for vision loss organisations remains high and will increase as the number of blind and vision impaired people grows. Yet, cuts to local authority funding and continued challenges of attracting volunteers and donations make the environment more challenging.
The cost of living crisis has created a harsh environment.
This spring, we're sowing the seeds of change with a fund that will award money to grassroots charities, ensuring they don't just survive but thrive. We'll offer funding to keep them going and grow support.
With your help, we can ensure a brighter future for them and the families they support.
As a small charity, we get to know the community we support. This is only made possible by organisations like yours. Your support was a huge help, as the past few years have been incredibly difficult.
A lifeline for families
Local or specialist vision loss charities are often the first port of call for people losing sight or seeking support to improve physical, mental and economic wellbeing.
Chloe Joyner started Usher Kids UK when she discovered a "gaping hole of unmet need" after her daughter received a diagnosis of Usher Syndrome, which causes hearing and vision loss.
She wanted to support families like hers. Usher Kids UK hosts events and virtual chats. These events are free and enable informal conversations and connections.
But vital community connections such as these could be lost.
"When you get a rare diagnosis, you immediately lose your peer group. I had no one that I could say, ‘how did you tell your profoundly deaf child they were going to go blind?"
Keeping the conversation going
Resilience funding from Fight for Sight helped ensure Usher Kids UK continues to support the families they work with while branching out to reach more people.
“The demand that we have for our services is unrelenting. And until now, we’ve been volunteer run,” says Chloe.
Estimates suggest that 2,000 children and young people (aged 0- 25 years) are living with the condition in the country right now, and the charity is currently in touch with between 300 and 400 families.
“Being able to secure paid staff means we can make our services available to every family receiving this diagnosis and be there for the whole journey.”
A brighter future for all
Past resilience funding has helped ensure the continuity of vision loss services. But we can and must do more.
So, we've launched a new fund designed to help services thrive.
Helping services thrive
We've designed our new fund to create a vision loss sector that will deliver services today and tomorrow and ensure people have equal access regardless of where they live- we know many people face a postcode lottery of services.
Our funding will support and encourage grassroots organisations and foster collaboration across the vision loss sector. We'll also encourage them to work with external organisations - because together, we're stronger.
Director of Impact and External Affairs, Eleanor Southwood, said: "By working together, organisations can pool resources, share expertise, and deliver services in a more holistic way. It will ensure that support reaches those who need it most.
"We'll be helping organisations be here tomorrow and be better equipped to meet the evolving needs of vision impaired people."
"By working together, organisations can pool resources, share expertise, and deliver services in a more holistic way. It will ensure that support reaches those who need it most."
Funding scientific research
We're funding scientific research to help us better understand, prevent, diagnose and treat vision loss.
In addition, we're investing in the brilliant minds driving the research, from funding PhD Studentships to enabling people to buy out time from clinics and investing in Early Career Researchers.
Watch the video below to see how our funding helped to develop Professor Alison Davidson, who is now mentoring students of her own.
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A lifeline
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Donate Now
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Future funding
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Funding scientific research
- A lifeline
- Donate Now
- Future funding
- Funding scientific research