Charity darts event raises thousands for sight loss charity

On Sunday 19th March, the Barrett Family who live in St Thomas, Exeter held their annual charity darts event in aid of sight loss charity, the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

The event has gone from strength to strength over the past 7 years and is now attended by more 80 local people.

Phil Barrett said; “The Darts event started back in March 2010 when we decided to hold an event in memory of our late dad. Bryan became partially sighted later in life and regularly used RNIB’s services including their free Talking Book library. It seemed fitting to hold the event in aid of RNIB, to give something back to a service he loved so dearly.”

“We were totally stunned by the amount of people that supported us back in 2010, and since then we have made the event a regular occasion, with many people asking us months in advance, what the date is for next year. To date we’ve raised over £8,700 and we would like say a huge thank you to everyone that has been involved over the years in making the event such a great success, including the Railway Club in Exeter and many local suppliers and businesses who have helped with raffle prizes, food and refreshments.”

Laura Board, Area Fundraising Manager for RNIB said: “We are hugely grateful to the Barrett family for their continued support of RNIB. Every day 100 people start to lose their sight. Right now there are over two million people living with sight loss in the UK, of whom it is estimated that more than 3,790 live in Exeter alone.

“It is thanks to the support of local people that we can continue to reach more blind and partially sighted people, providing emotional support and practical solutions to the everyday challenges, so that we can face the future with confidence together.”

If you are interested in holding your own fundraising event to help people living with sight loss in Exeter, please contact Laura Board, RNIB Area Fundraising Manager at laura.board@rnib.org.uk or 01392 798201.

This May were also asking everyone to get dotty by getting involved in Wear Dots Raise Lots. You will be highlighting the impact of braille and helping us to support the hundreds of people in the UK that start to lose their sight every day. For your free fundraising pack and to find out more visit www.rnib.org.uk/weardotsraiselots