CARLISLE Sight Support has opened up about the effects of the pandemic on the charity, future plans and how it will continue to support locals with sight loss.
The charity organisation, which is based on Brunswick Street, Carlisle, is a stalwart in the community, and helps provide essential support for those living in the areas who have sight loss.
Carlisle Sight Support does this by operating a number of services, from its befriending service, which tackles isolation, to its 'talking newspapers' and books for avid readers who lose their sight.
However, at the organisation, the legacies of the pandemic remain as the people behind the chairty look to reattach its local links in a community that was severly effected by coronavirus.
Mark Costello is the manager at Carlisle Sight Support, and he gave an sense of the seismic effect Covid has had on the charity and the community it supports.
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He said: "We were more or less closed down for two years. The organisation was in mothballs and we kept it going through phone calls.
"People became increasingly isolated. Elderly people lost confidence, it was a compounded problem, they couldn't be visited by us or visit the centre."
Not only did the various lockdowns limit the organisations abilities to support its members, but also since the lifting of restrictions Carlisle Sight Support has struggled to retain its members.
Mr Costello said: "What we have found these last years is that it has been diffcult to encourage people to get out.
"We found that a lot more of our elderly members have lost confidence and we have been trying to get them reintegrated."
In an attempt to reunited its fractured community, Carlisle Sight Support has held a number of events, including it's 30th anniversary tea party which was held in October.
Furthermore, Mr Costello spoke about the other plans the organisation has for events in the future, the majority of which will be featured in the groups upcoming newsletter.
He said: "We have a coffee morning in Carlisle and a 'tea and chat' in Brampton.
"We are also looking to run a cooking course with a focus on simple menus. This will be looking at adaptations to the kitchen and soup and a chat."
Mr Costello also emphasised the organiations plans to try and diversify its membership by making more people aware of the services it provides to those, of any age, with sight loss.
He said: "We are trying to attract new younger people into the organisation. Maybe there is something we can offer them.
"We are trying to encourage engagement with other audiences that don't use our services."
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