IRIS VISION RESOURCE CENTRE

14 Chapel Street
Crewe
Cheshire
CW2 7DQ

NEWSLETTER EASTER 2007

Message from the Chairman.

Welcome to the first edition of the newsletter for 2007:I hope that you got through Christmas without too many family disagreements and the New Year without too big a hangover and that you are keeping well.

I would like to thank those of you who part in the recent survey of AMD services, I am sure that these will prove very helpful to the review that is taking place and should come up with some recommendations later this year.

Don't forget the fashion show which is taking place on 19 April at the Vagrants sports club: contact the office for details. The tickets are £6 each which includes a buffet.

We would still like to see more of you volunteering to help with our various fund raising events. Contact the office to see what activities would most appeal to you.

Cheers
Bruce


MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
FOR
APRIL 2007 TO MARCH 2008

If you are a member of the Iris Vision Resource Centre we would like to remind you that your membership fee is due for payment on the 1st April 2005. The cost remains at £5.00 for the year.

If you wish to continue with your membership would you please complete the registration form at the foot of this page and return it to the Iris Vision Resource Centre in the prepaid envelope together with your subscription fee of £5.00. In return we will issue you with a new membership card for the 2007/2008 year.

If you are not currently a member of Iris and would like to become a supporter please complete the registration form and return it to us. We will then enter your details on to our database. Iris Membership gives members the opportunity to attend the Monday group and the Tuesday drop in sessions, the loan of audio books from our library, a copy of the Iris Newsletter four times a year, the support of staff and volunteers if needed and the right to vote at general meetings.


The Iris Vision Resource Centre
Annual Subscription April 2007/2008



Membership Fee £5.00

Name………………………………...................................................................................


Address……………………..............................................................................................

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Tele No……..............................................................................


Please make cheques payable to The Iris Centre

Thank you, your support is very much appreciated.

IRIS Vision Resource Room

Product Updates

In the Christmas edition of the newsletter we gave information about the new Max Magnifier supplied by Enhanced Vision, giving the price of the magnifier as £176.00. A tracker stand cost £17.60 . The magnifier has been reduced to £119.90 for the black and white version or £229.90 for the colour option. The tracker has been reduced to £16.50. All prices include packaging and postage. Additional to the above we now stock the writing aid which allows you to use the magnifier for writing, which is then shown on the television screen. The cost of this item is £16.50 it can be demonstrated in our Resource Room. The black and white Max, tracker and writing aid are also sold as a complete package for £130.90, a saving of £22.00.

Tablet Dispenser
We now have in stock a 7 day tablet dispenser divided into individual compartments for morning, afternoon, evening and bed time tablets. An easier way of keeping track of medication. Fill the appropriately marked compartments and you can see at a glance if you have taken your medication at the right time of day. Each compartment has an individual snap closure to hold medication securely in place. Price £7.14.

Key Fob With LCD Light
Reasonably sized key fob for holding your household keys. This fob has a powerful LCD light to help you illuminate the lock area making it easier to open front doors or even car lock. Price £5.49.

Reading Aids
Pack of four reading aids in various sizes. These are black plastic with a cut out section allowing a single line to be shown at any one time. This makes reading printed material easier. Price £3.03.

Tactile Dice
Large dice white with black markings dice. Ideal for playing board games etc.
Price £1.65.

X Word Book
We have now added book four to our large print X word book collection A welcome addition to books one, two and three The cost of each book is £2.75 We also stock a large print wordsearch/quick crossword book also selling at £2.75.

Large Print Scrabble
This is now available after some delays and sells at £23.39.

Wheat Bag
Warm and comforting, these microwaveable wheat bags are a safe alternative to the more traditional hot water bottle. Price £16.50.


‘Give us a Break!’
by Warren L. Wright

It is not until one has cause to visit a Fracture Clinic that one realises how many clumsy beggars there are in the world. I have never seen such a collection of slings, crutches, bandages and pained expressions since seeing the painting of Napoleon’s Retreat from Moscow. It was all there – except the snow.

It was my dear wife who introduced me to the world of bent bones and plaster of Paris. She had decided to enliven our mundane existence by taking a tumble in our kitchen, breaking her lower arm and head-butting the dishwasher in the process.

Until that moment, having never broken anything that could be called a bone worthy of the name in my life, that I realised how very painful the experience was. To judge by the hullabaloo coming from the kitchen as I dashed to the rescue, it must be on a par with childbirth. Fortunately, we have our own private branch of the N.H.S. in the shape of our R.G.N. daughter, who whisked the wounded heroine off to Casualty, and returned her mother to me well and truly plastered, as you might say.

Thus it was that we made acquaintance with the Fracture Clinic a week later. As I say, I had never laid eyes on such a collection of suffering humanity in my life. All were there: broken limbs, plaster casts, crutches, Zimmer frames – all siphoned in from the
Accident and Emergency Department to see the Broken Bone Specialists. I would have loved to hear the story every one of them had to tell, but time and natural reticence forbade. I find it difficult to just bowl up to perfect strangers and engage them in conversation. My wife, however, being a sociable soul, finds no difficulty in this direction, and she was soon chatting merrily to fellow casualties. So it was that we heard the stories of the young man and the middle-aged woman who sat near to us, whiling away the hours until their names were drawn out of the hat for treatment . . . . .

The young man in a shell suit and trainers with his arm in a sling was accompanied by, at a guess, his girl-friend. My wife smiled and nodded – her usual opening gambit, I have noticed.

“How did you break yours?” my wife asked. The girl friend answered, annoyance writ large on her face:
“Football,” she said. Her tone suggested that footie was a bone of contention between them.

“What happened?” asked my wife.

“He plays in goal,” said girl friend. “Only he could break his arm playing in goal!”

Then the story emerged. Our young friend, who spoke very little – he was either naturally reticent or had learned the hard way not to interrupt when the alpha-female was speaking – had spent all of one half and most of the second half leaning on the goal post, while it was all going on at the other end of the pitch. He had been
suddenly startled into wakefulness by the sight of a raiding party from the other team appearing right on his doorstep. Just in the nick of time, he launched himself at the scorcher of a ball that came whizzing toward the goalmouth. It was not until he was in mid-air that he realised that the threatening ball was heading straight for the left hand goal post – and so was he. The human body is not good at mid-air braking, and he made sharp and painful acquaintance with the goal post, breaking his arm.

His girl friend, having told the story, continued by telling him that his foot balling days were over, to which he at last spoke up in his own defence:

“I saved the goal, though,” he said.

“You were winning six-nil!” she exclaimed. “It was two minutes to full time. You shouldn’t have bothered!”

The middle-aged woman sitting with her somewhat morose husband across from us also responded to the wifely smile.

“Aren’t we a pair?” she said. My wife could not but agree, and they began exchanging Accident Reports. Gradually, my wife’s misfortune was being relegated to the realms of the banal. Colliding with a goal post made falling in the kitchen seem small beer well enough, but the manner of this woman’s accident topped the lot:

She and her husband were holidaying in Egypt when she fell and broke her upper arm and dislocated her shoulder. They had gone to Egypt in the hot season – cheap rates, I suppose – and all the excursions arranged by the holiday company were very early in the morning, so that the holidaymakers were back on the boat, cooled by the Nile, before the hottest part of the day. On this particular day, there had been some delay and the guide was chivvying everyone along to get round as quickly as possible. It does not, however, pay to try to hurry down the deep stone steps leading to the tomb of Tutankhamen. The poor woman had slipped and taken the express route down to the Pharaoh's last resting place..

I pointed out that the dear lady was in exalted company: the latest victim of King Tut’s Curse which had first done for Lord Caernarfon. She was philosophical.

“At least,” she said, “it was the last day of our holiday!”

My wife’s return to the bosom of the Local History Group which we attend coincided with that of another wounded hero with his arm in a sling.

“How did it happen?” he said, enquiring after my wife.

“She slipped on a mat in the kitchen,” I told him, hoping that at least this time she would not be upstaged by yet another bizarre way of breaking one’s arm. It was not to be. “I fell out of bed,” he said.

Funny how people unwittingly hand the poor scribbler an exit line that could not be bettered by invention.

EDINBURGH WOOLLEN MILL - Fashion Show
This event will be held on Thursday 19th April 2007. The
Show runs from 7 - 9pm and is followed by a buffet
supper. Tickets cost £6.00 including the buffet supper, and a
licensed bar will be available.

If you would like a ticket, contact the IRIS Vision Resource
Centre on 01270 250316
Please help us make this an enjoyable and successful
evening by showing us your support
ENERGY SAVING LIGHT BULBS
We still have some energy saving light bulbs in stock. The bulbs come in a box of four, containing two 100watt and two 40watt bulbs. The bulbs are free of charge, so if you would like to do your bit for the ozone layer please contact the IRIS
Vision Resource Centre on 01270 250316 and speak to Wendy, Steph or Joyce.

Minds Eye Movies
Minds Eye Movies offer audio described films on CD. Pardon? How can you have films on audio CD? Well, there aren’t any visuals on the CD but you still get the entire film soundtrack - music, sound effects and actors dialogue coupled with audio description. This clever idea allows audio described films (ADFs) on CD to be enjoyed by anyone, anywhere - on a computer, home hifi, personal CD player or even in the car! Varying subscription plans but can work out at £7.35 each and films are yours to keep. Have a look at the website for more details and you can listen to clips from the films. ADFs are also available in some libraries and you’ll find a list of which ones on the website.
Www.mindseyemovies


FUND RAISING EVENTS

Grand Draw
The Grand Draw raised £1,108.00 and the following are our lucky prize winners.
Mrs Thompson, K Hunt, Mrs M Fitzpatrick, F Summers,
F Swindells, N Rowe, Mrs Mellor, Ms Houlbrook, Ms McCluskey, B Boffey, E Cope, and A Meredith.

Thank you to everybody who supported us.



Coffee Morning 18th January 2007
The above event raised £150.00 despite the appalling weather that day. Thanks to our friends and volunteers who turned out regardless of the continuous downpour and gales.


Future Events

17th March collection at Morrisons Supermarket
between 10.00am and 4.00pm

5th May collection in Crewe town centre

26th May Asda supermarket collection

9th June Nantwich town centre collection

23rd June Coffee Morning at Nantwich Church Hall

27th July Coffee Morning at Nantwich Church Hall

39th July Duck Race 2.30pm to be held on Waldron Meadows

11th August Sainsburys Supermarket Collection

23rd August Coffee Morning at Nantwich Church Hall

If you could spare a couple of hours of your time to help at any of the above events we would be grateful. Please ring the IRIS Vision Resource Centre on 01270 250316 for further details of the above events

DIRECTORY ENQUIRY SERVICE
If you cannot read BTs Phone Book because of sight problems you can apply for a free directory enquiry service . For an application form or enquiries about the service telephone the free helpline on 0800 5870195. Mon - Fri 8.30am - 5.00pm


LARGE PRINT NEWS
We have been asked on a few occasions if large print newspapers are available. Large Print News is available from the Big Print, a national weekly newspaper. It contains national and international news in large print, book reviews, giant crossword, horoscopes, sports news and recipes plus a 40 page weekly TV and radio guide.
Produced by RNIB it is available at £15.75 per quarter, £29.50 per half year or £56.50 for a year. Orders can be placed on freephone 0800 124007.

Alternatively you can contact National Talking Newspapers and Magazines who provide national newspapers and magazines on audio tape, computer disc, e-mail, internet download and CD Rom. For further information telephone 01435 866102.

EASY 5 MOBILE TELEPHONE
This new, pay-as-you-go, mobile phone is easy-to-use and features five large speed-dial buttons, which can be programmed to dial your most important telephone numbers. The phone is supplied with a neck strap, earpiece, and mains charger and has a standby time of 60 to 100 hours and talk time of 2 to 3 hours. It is available in black and red. Contact the IRIS Vision Resource Centre for further information.

SALE ITEM
If anybody out there requires a computer desk, we know a person who would like to sell one. The desk is a large business type in light wood and is in excellent condition. The current owner is asking £15.00. If you are interested, please contact Wendy, Steph or Joyce at the centre for further information.





MALCOMS MUSES
REST, PEACE & QUIET

The consultant said “You have nothing to worry about. But I would suggest that you come into hospital and under my watchful eye spend a short time for a period of rest. I am sure that you will find an improvement that can be maintained”.

The nurse told me that a letter would follow advising me of the date for my admission.

Nothing to worry about - ha - those very words start one’s nerves jangling and now I had to wait for a letter ! My friend said, “ Don’t hold your breath.”

When the letter came I was on edge but gritting my gums - I’d forgotten to put my teeth in - I opened it. The date hit me between the eyes - the 27th, barely a week away. I was not prepared for such a quick appointment. What should I pack and for how long, where is my bag - hell, it’s been over twelve months since I last used it - heck, perhaps I’ll use a big carrier bag!

“You will be in a side room not in the main area. Your consultant said you needed peace and quiet and rest - no wandering about - you must stay on your bed. Here we are - OK. I’ll leave you to settle in”.

I may have been on my own , but peace and quiet - what a laugh. Every movement on the ward was, it seemed, directed to my room. Everything was moved around on trolleys with squeaks and noisy wobbles, the water system groaned and squirted and most conversation was heard plainly. Plus there was no T.V. or radio to compensate - rest! peace! quiet!!

It had occurred to me that maybe a stay in hospital for just bed rest, would be better than a week in a hotel - all meals prepared and NO washing up, bed made and changed, attention from a ward orderly at the touch of a button.

Well it was a nice thought but the bubble soon was burst. With not having a T.V or a radio and not being much of a reader the view of the plain white wall in front of me soon lost its appeal.

No complaints about the staff, though, and I suppose that when all is said and done the consultant was right. Rock on.


RECIPE CORNER

CANADIAN CHICKEN (Serves 2)
2 Chicken Breasts
Curry Powder
Small tin peach slices in juice
Tin of Campbells condensed cream of mushroom soup (or chicken if you prefer)

METHOD
Butter a casserole dish.
Sprinkle a pinch of curry powder over each of the chicken breasts.
Mix a little of the peach juice with the soup to thin it slightly
Pour over the chicken and cover.
Cook in the oven at 180 degrees C for around 30 minutes or until the meat is tender.
Add peaches to the casserole after about 15 minutes cooking time.


PARTNERS

I am hanging around, my back is to the wall
And gazing over the garden and along the street
My partner left when a man came to call
Gone, the best friend one could wish to meet.

Together we were great, always stood our ground
We were inseparable, my partner and me
A fancier pair there could not be found
Visitors came from everywhere, us to see.

A decision was made; we each needed a new coat
Then the man came and took my partner - not me
I was pushed aside, my protest stuck in my throat
And all I could do was to just wait and see.

Now I’m waiting for my partner to be returned
Getting more worried, my fears will not abate
If I’d been made dif’rent likely I’d feel spurned
But, sadly, I’m just an old iron garden gate!


KEITH’S KORNER
My dad spent most of his working life as a fireman in London, and I was therefore very interested and a little bit intrigued when IRIS received an invitation from the Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service to attend a workshop they were running in January. Two of our trustees – Kay Bailey and Janice Whitmore – attended the meeting, and reported back to us on a new service which the fire brigade started to provide from April last year. They are now willing to carry out free of charge a home safety assessment for all Cheshire residents – both for fire risks and other hazards - and will supply and fit free smoke alarms (and in some cases other equipment, like thermostatically controlled deep fat fryers to replace old chip pans) for those who need them. What’s more this is not an idle stop-gap measure but a major programme which has the ambition of visiting every house in Cheshire within the next 4 years. They are particularly keen to visit those who are not easily reached by other services, and especially keen to make sure that those with a disability take advantage of what is on offer.

Now, I don’t recall my dad doing any work like this when he drove off to complete his shift at the local fire station, but it does seem a really good idea, and is based on the sound principle that prevention is better than cure. And unlike most other things in life, it’s all absolutely free, with the work being undertaken by strapping young fire-fighters resplendent in their smart uniforms!

So, what are you waiting for? Either contact IRIS to arrange a visit for you, or ring the Fire & Rescue Service referrals helpline on 0800 3890053.
Be safe rather than sorry.