PERSONALISED replicas of the Queen’s s Award for Voluntary Service have been presented to volunteers who visit sight-impaired people in West Somerset.

They were given, along with certificates, by Somerset Sight CEO Jackie Sopwith at a meeting in Minehead – one in a series of events being held by the charity to thank its volunteers across the county.

Somerset Sight was awarded the Queen’s Award this year – the highest accolade for voluntary service in the UK – in June.

It supports 3500 people across Somerset who have sight loss through nine core services, one of which is its flagship Volunteer Visiting Service.

Meetings were held in October to thank volunteer visitors for their commitment to visiting sight impaired people. The West Somerset meeting was held in Minehead on Friday October 18.

Jackie also presented a certificate for over 20 years with Somerset Sight to local volunteer Maureen Wright.

Liam Harkness attended the meeting to talk about his own sight loss since childhood and his previous careers in manufacturing and as a blackbelt on the UK’s Paralympic judo team during which time he travelled extensively across Europe.

He talked about the huge impact that one of Somerset Sight’s volunteer visitors has made to his life. He described the way in which his volunteer enabled him to adapt to his total sight loss, go back to college and start running regularly. Liam and his volunteer now run marathons together.

Liam started work for Somerset Sight in 2018 offering emotional support to people whose sight has deteriorated, organising countywide activities and offering specialist knowledge and advice on IT available for people with sight impairment.

Anyone who would like to visit somebody locally on a regular basis for befriending and support is asked to contact the area volunteer co-ordinator, Claire Packwood, on 01643 842972 or email [email protected].

Claire is currently looking for volunteer visitors to provide company and support people on a fortnightly basis in the Minehead area and Exmoor villages. All reasonable expenses are reimbursed.

For information or help with sight loss, contact Somerset Sight on 01823 333818 for more information.