The number of blind and partially sighted people living in Cornwall has almost doubled in the last 10 years. With this number expected to increase to 32,000 by 2030, it is more important than ever for us to reach more people and give them the support they need to maintain their independence.

As a charity, we rely heavily on charitable donations and launched our Sight Appeal last April with the hope of raising £50,000.

We are proud to announce that with the help and support of generous individuals and organisations we totally smashed our target!

Below are just a few of the individuals and organisations who helped us achieve our £50,000 target:

Extreme moped challenge

When a close friend suddenly lost his sight and was offered advice and support from iSightCornwall, Martin Chapman was inspired to take on a fundraising challenge with a difference. He took part in one of the UK’s most extreme motocross races on a 90cc moped. Not only did he complete the race, which took place on the beach at Western Super Mare and included 15m high sand dunes, but he also raised over £1,200 for our Sight Appeal.

Bath half marathon

Inspired by Martin Chapman, Gemma Jenkins decided to raise money by running the Bath Half marathon as it was her nephew who had lost his sight suddenly. Despite this being her first half Marathon she completed the distance in 2hrs 23 minutes and raised almost £500, more than double her original target!

Newquay Ladies Thursday Club

The ladies of the Newquay Thursday Club had a very busy year raising money for iSightCornwall.They held open garden events, raffles and tabletop sales amongst other things. They finished the year with a beautiful carol service in St Michael’s Church in Newquay where they gave us a cheque for £5,100!

Tamar Historic Transport Club

After fundraising throughout the year, the Tamar Historic Transport Club invited us along to their Christmas event where they presented us with a cheque for £1,000.

Pushing the boat out

Anne and Alan Cox from Falmouth dedicate their time to raising money for charity, raising over £10,000 in the last 10 years. This year, we were lucky enough to be their chosen charity. After chartering six boat trips on the River Fal and giving talks about Cornish history to local community groups, they presented us with a cheque for £1,000 just before Christmas. But they didn’t stop there and have continued to raise money on our behalf through talks and raffles.

Penryn Bowling Club

It was an honour to be chosen as the President’s Charity and be invited along to the Penryn Bowling Club’s AGM where we were presented with a cheque for £925 which had been raised by the bowlers and social club members.

Best Christmas Gig Ever

A full house danced the night away at the ‘Best Christmas Gig Ever’, a charity event at the Bird in Hand pub in Hayle. A total of £2,500 was raised with £1,500 donated to iSightCornwall and £500 each going to Hayle Carnival and Hayle Christmas Lights.

Thanks to our supporters:

We would not have been able to reach our target without the generosity of the following organisations and for that, we can’t thank you enough:

Bird in Hand
Boots Opticians
Carrick U3A
Cornish Mutual
Dolphin Inn
Douglas Arter Foundation
Florence Nightingale Trust
Gardner’s Trust for the Blind
Greystone Boarder Lodge
Hayle-Penwith U3A
Headland Hotel and Spa
Independence at Home Trust
Indian Queens Methodist Church
Leek Seed Methodist Church
Lions Club of Bodmin
Liskeard Town Council
Macfarlanes Charitable Trust
Newquay Ladies Thursday Club
Penryn Bowling Club
Queens Methodist Church
St Dominick Slimming Club
St Mylor Church
Tamar Historic Transport Club
Tregothnan
Watson Marlow Spirax-Sarco Engineering Trust

All the money raised from our Sight Appeal stays in Cornwall to provide essential services for the 22,000 people living with sight loss in the county.