Tango for visually impaired people

The first very successful Tango session was held on Monday 15 October at the Unitarian Church, Victoria Street, Cambridge. Tuition was given by Michael Wilkinson, who has been teaching Tango for 5 years.

The group found that loss of sight – both partial and total – was no barrier to participating in this delightful dance and they are looking forward to attending the next sessions on:

Monday 29 October, 2pm – 4pm
Monday 19 November, 2pm – 4pm

The Unitarian Church is a delightful venue with a good dance floor and a separate room for socialising with cake, nibbles, tea and coffee.

If you would like to join in, please just turn up, no booking is required. No knowledge of the dance is necessary as Tango is no more than a slow walk improved. So if you can walk, you can Tango and have a good time. Michael shows everyone individually how to develop their Tango and at their own pace.

The fee is £3 to cover costs.

Please phone Michael on 079 835 14021 or 01763 274010 or email mchlwilkinson@gmail.com if you are unsure of anything.

Michael looks forward to welcoming you!

Ely Cathedral Carol Concert for Cam Sight

On Tuesday 9th October Cam Sight and The Cambridgeshire Masons launch the Festival of Carols concert to be held in aid of Cam Sight on Friday 7 December at 7.30pm at Ely Cathedral.

This is a spectacular event in celebration of Christmas.  Well known Christmas music will be performed by Ely Cathedral Choir interspersed the seasonal readings and poems by local celebrities and some of our Cam Sight members.  The closing address will be by Kett MacAfee who will be talking about her experience of sight loss and how Cam Sight has helped her.

This promises to be a stunning and festive evening in the most beautiful and festive of settings.

All the proceeds of the evening will be shared between Cam Sight and Ely Cathedral Trust.  Please come along and support us.

Tickets are available from Ely Cathedral Box Office on 01353 660349 or www.elycathedral.org Prices range from £10; £15; £22 or £30 per seat and there is also a Champagne Reception for an additional £17.50 per person if you wish to make an special evening of the event

http://www.elycathedral.org/diary/index.html?month=12&year=2012;sections=1

Centenary Update

We had a very successful Chocolate Tasting Evening on 11th September with the team from Chocolat Chocolat in Cambridge.  Seventy five of us ate chocolate until we could eat no more, washed down by a delectable glass of dessert wine.  It was a very educational evening (yes really!) and we all learned a great deal about how chocolate is made, how if differs from country to country and how good it is for you!!  Two quizzes were held and the victors went home with vouchers and a charming ‘chocolate bouquet’  We should like to thank Isabelle and Robin Chappell and their team for such a thoroughly enjoyable evening and for the Cambridge Masons for permitting us to use their beautiful venue in Bateman Street.  We recommend a visit to the Chocolat Chocolat shop in St Andrews Street – you will not regret it!

DON’T FORGET OUR CENTENARY DINNER AND AUCTION!

 Hot on the heels of the chocolate tasting is our grand Centenary Dinner and Auction to be held at Madingley Hall on Friday 5th October at 7.00pm.  Tickets, priced at £50 per head, are available now from Cam Sight.  We really hope that you will join us in this celebration of our 100th birthday which falls later that month.  We have a fabulous array of prizes in the auction which includes a holiday cottage in Devon for wine week; fine wines; fine dining; a cookery course; aeroplane flight and many more.  We are delighted that Lord Jeffrey Archer has agreed to be our Auctioneer for the evening.  He is very entertaining and will ensure the evening is one to remember.  We shall also have a musical interlude, sparkling wine, canapés, a three course dinner with coffee and mints.

 Please contact Sally Nott on sally.n@camsight.org.uk 01223 420033 for tickets right away!!

I-balls 6 is now available

They’re back! Matt, Lynne and Jerry return after an extended break to discuss attacks on guide dogs, the importance of social networking and the consequences of sex in the woods in today’s surveillance society.

Here are some links relating to topics discussed in the show.

David Blunkett on campaign to stop attacks on guide dogs, from the Sun

Information on reporting attacks on Guide Dogs, from the Guide Dogs website

‘Adapt and overcome is my new motto’: Jack Osbourne is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis

Wildlife camera catches Austrian politician having sex in forest, from the Telegraph

Internet companies warn over government email surveillance plans, from the Guardian

You can subscribe to I-balls with iTunes by choosing the subscribe with iTunes link.Subscribe in iTunes

For other pod catching programs, such as the Accessible Podcatcher from WebbIE copy this alternative subscription address in to your podcatching software.

http://camsight.jellycast.com/podcast/feed/4

Find out more about I-balls by visiting the Podcast Category
Send feedback to podcast@camsight.org.uk

Cam Sight Centenary Dinner and Auction

Our actual 100th birthday is almost upon us.  We reach our Centenary on 28th October.  To celebrate this marvellous achievement we are holding a Formal Centenary Dinner and Auction and we hope that you, your family and friends would like to join us.

The Dinner is to be held on Friday 5th October from 7pm in the beautiful setting of Madingley Hall.  Guests will be offered a glass of sparking champagne and canapés in the gallery then move on to the formal panelled dining hall for a three course dinner with coffee and mints.  There will be a short musical interlude before the Auction takes place.

Our Auctioneer for the evening will be Lord Jeffrey Archer who is a master auctioneer and is guaranteed to help us raise a significant amount of money towards our Centenary Appeal.  We have a range of superb auction prizes donated by local businesses.

 Tickets for the evening are priced at £50 per head.  This includes a glass of sparkling wine; canapés; three course dinner; coffee and mints and a bottle of red wine and a bottle of white wine on each table.  Vegetarian options are available.

For tickets and further information, please contact Sally Nott on 01223 420033 or email sally.n@camsight.org.uk

Do you like the taste of Chocolate?

A Cam Sight first – a chocolate tasting evening run for us by Chocolat Chocolat of Cambridge on Tuesday 11 September at 7pm.

For those of you unfamiliar with the shop, it is a small independent family owned and run business.  Isabelle Chappell is a french master chocolatier who trained in France and who has now brought her own unique style of chocolate making to Cambridge.  The evening will be an opportunity to learn more about chocolate, how it is made and the many types of chocolate made around the world as well as have a chance to taste, enjoy a glass of dessert wine and mingle in the beautiful setting of the Cambridge Masonic Hall in Bateman Street.  There is the added bonus of free parking on site.

Tickets are £15 per head to include the wine and are available from me from today. Payment may be cash, cheque or credit card.

Tell all your friends, I think this is going to be a great evening!

See you there!

Sally

01223 420033 or sally.n@camsight.org.uk

 

 

 

Audio Described performances and Touch Tours at Cambridge Arts Theatre

Cambridge  Arts Theatre has a wonderful season of accessible performances this Autumn. Kicking off the Audio Described season is the West End smash-hit ‘The Ladykillers’, from Monday 22 October to Saturday 27 October. Starring Michele Dotrice (Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em), Shaun Williamson (Extras and EastEnders) and Clive Mantle (Castualty and The Vicar of Dibley) this is a comedy about Professor Marcus and his gang, who pose as amateur musicians, and rent rooms in the lopsided house of sweet but strict Mrs Wilberforce, plotting to involve her unwittingly in Marcus’ brilliantly conceived heist job. The police are left stumped, but Mrs Wilberforce becomes wise to their ruse and Marcus concludes that there is only one way to keep the old lady quiet. With only her parrot, General Gordon, to help her, Mrs Wilberforce is alone with five desperate men. But who will be forced t face the music? An Audio Described performance will be on Saturday 27 October at 2.30pm with a Touch Tour at 1.30pm. Do not miss this hilarious and thrilling new adaptation of an Ealing classic.

English Touring Theatre returns to Cambridge Arts Theatre after the sell-out success of ‘Anne Boleyn’ and ‘The Real Thing’ with W.Somerset Maugham’s classic play, ‘The Sacred Flame’ which runs from Tuesday 20 November to Saturday 24 November. This is a classic murder mystery but with a twist that explores love, devotion and family. Audiences are left wondering what happened on the night to the young Great War hero, Maurice Tabret, died at home in his bed. His doctor says he died from natural causes, but his nurse points a finger of suspicion at his beautiful wife, Stella. ‘The Sacred Flame’ will have an Audio Described performance on Saturday 24 November at 2.30pm and a Touch Tour at 1.30pm.

Following the great success of last year’s production of ‘Cinderella’, Cambridge Arts Theatre’s traditional pantomime is back! Full of the usual thrills, spills, magic and laughter, this is a giant of an adventure for the whole family to enjoy.

The Trott’s are in trouble and Dame Trott needs her two sons, our hero Jack and the ever-so silly Billy, to help her make some money….and fast! Jack does his best and sells his beloved cow, but when he returns home with just some measly beans for payment, his mother is furious and tosses them out in the garden. But these beans are not what they seem and soon an enormous beanstalk mysteriously takes root in the Trott’s garden. It appears Jack’s adventures are only just beginning.  ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ will have an Audio Described performance on Thursday 3 January at 2pm and a Touch Tour at 1pm.

For further assistance or to book your tickets, please call the Box Office on 01223 503333.

www.cambridgeartstheatre.com

Thank you!

This latest little update is more of a thank you to a number of people who have been working hard to raise money for Cam Sight.

Firstly a huge congratulations to Julie, Gail, Sally and their team of visually impaired cyclists.  We now have the final total for the 100 Miles for 100 Years Bike Ride which raised a magnificent total of £4,000.  Special thanks are due to Julie who spent so much time in devising and planning this event, all her hard work paid off!

A team of volunteers braved the wind and rain and a flying gazebo at the Chesterton Fair and raised £61 in the sale of books and cakes.

At the same event the 12th Cambridge Beavers raised £152 for Cam Sight with the sale of home-made smoothies.  We are really grateful to the Beavers for all their hard work and for wishing to raise money for Cam Sight.

Cambridge Regional College did a superb Dining in the Dark at the Park Restaurant on 27th June which together with a raffle raised a magnificent £450.  We should like to give our thanks to Beth Elkins and her team for such a fabulous evening with truly wonderful food!

We were also delighted to receive two cheques totalling £500 from the Cambridge Masons Kynaston Lodge.

We have more fundraising events lined up for later this year including our Chocolate Tasting Evening on 11th September – further details next time.  If you are going to the Cambridge Rock Festival in August, keep a look-out for our stand on 3rd August – Cam Sight get everywhere!

Thank you,
Sally

Chatteris Centenary Fete

Come and see Dave ‘Boy’ Green MBE open Cam Sight’s Centenary Fete in Chatteris.

Saturday 28 July, 10.30 – 1.30pm at Bricston Hall (behind St Peter & St Paul’s Church), Market Hill, Chatteris.

Join in the fun with sight awareness games, stalls, refreshments, raffle, tombola, displays and much more!

 

Parasport 2012

To celebrate the 2012 Paralympics the Sports Development Team are running a series of Paralympic sport taster sessions aimed at children and young people with and without a disability.

These sessions will be a fantastic opportunity for friends and siblings to take part in sport alongside children with a disability.

The programme runs from Monday 13th August until Friday 24th August and culminates in a full day of family fun and competition at Netherhall Sports Centre at the Paralympic Relay Flame Celebration.

For ages 8-25

All sessions £3. Booking is essential – please contact:

Cambridge CityCouncil Sports Development Team on 01223 457000 or sportsdevelopment@cambridge.gov.uk

Goalball

When: Monday 13th August 1.00pm – 2.00pm
Where: Netherhall Sports Centre

Swimming

When: Tuesday 14th August 1:30 pm –2:30 pm
Where: Chesterton Sports Centre

Wheelchair Basketball

When: Wednesday 15th August 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Where: Cambridge Regional College

Archery

When: Thursday 16th August 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Where: Kelsey Kerridge
Notes: Max 12 places. Direct booking with City Council essential

Visually Impaired Football

Date: Friday 17th August 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Where: Abbey Sports Centre

Martial Arts

When: Monday 20th August 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Where: Cherry Hinton Village Centre

Seated Volleyball

When: Tuesday 21st August 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Where: Netherhall Sports Centre

Wheelchair Tennis

When: Wednesday 22nd August 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Where: Hills Road Tennis Centre

Boccia

When: Thursday 23rd August 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Where: Meadows Community Centre

Disability Sport&Arts Festival
Sunday 28th October 2012, 10am-4pm
Netherhall Sports Centre

This October will see Cambridge’s second Disability Sports and Arts Festival. This event will be open to all – children and adults, parents and carers. Most mportantly, it is open to people with any disability. The build up to the festival will begin in with Disability Awareness training for coaches and volunteers, and culminate with a series of sporting, cultural and arts activities. The highlight of the festival will be a funpacked day of activities at Netherhall Sports Centre.

Look out for posters and flyers advertising the events from the summer.

Visit www.cambridge.gov.uk/getactive for the most up to date information.

Register in advance at: www.surveymonkey.com/s/distsportsfest12