Matt Smith, Social Action Officer Trudi Hamer, and Bethnal Green and Bow Conservatives’ Social Action Team spent the weekend talking to local residents about the work of the National Deafblind Charity, Sense, and gave local people the opportunity to donate items for Sense to sell in their charity shops to raise funds for their work with children and adults with dual sensory impairment. This is the second community collection Matt and his team have carried out for the charity in the Bow area, the last one was in November.
Sense is a national charity that supports and campaigns on behalf of children and adults who are deafblind. They have supported people who have sensory impairments for the last 60 years and helped a huge number of people to live more independent lives.
Sense was started by a group of families caring for deafblind children who had been seriously affected by rubella during pregnancy. Today, a growing number of children are born prematurely with a range of medical conditions that often include sight and hearing impairments. The profile of sight and hearing loss amongst older people is also increasing as a result of the UK’s ageing population. For more information on the work of Sense please seewww.sense.org.uk
Once again, the residents of Bow were extremely generous with their donations. Many residents had heard of Sense, one gentleman had run a sponsored marathon for Sense recently, and those that could not donate on this occasion expressed interest in donating items next time. Matt and his team plan to carry out another collection of donations for Sense’s shops in the spring.
Matt said: “The work of the National Deafblind charity Sense is crucial to the lives of many individuals with dual sensory impairment and their families. We were delighted to help out this weekend by collecting items for Sense to sell to raise funds in their charity shops. The enthusiasm and generosity of residents who wanted to support Sense was also deeply impressive, showing that community spiritedness in Bethnal Green and Bow is alive and well!”
Sense Donated Stock Manager Nicholas Wilks said: ‘I am truly grateful to Matt Smith and his team who volunteered their free time over the weekend to collect donations, and to the people of Bow for their kindness and support. These donations will make a huge difference to our charity shops and enable them to raise much-needed funds to support deafblind children and adults in the community'.
Bethnal Green and Bow Conservatives are running a series of Social Action projects with the local community over the next few months; this is in line with the Conservative Party’s commitment to social justice. If you would like to get involved with the community projects or feel you could volunteer your help with the next collection for Sense, please contact Matt Smith by email: [email protected]