Camelon's Forth Valley Sensory Centre awarded £200,000 to help people battle isolation

More than 200 people will benefit from new services and activities delivered by the Camelon-based Forth Valley Sensory Centre (FVSC) thanks to the new funding.The charity, which provides support to 20,000 people with sight and/or hearing loss each year. will use the money to develop their services so they can help even more people throughout the Forth Valley.

They aim to deliver social activities and skills training, including IT and tech support, cookery classes, visits and excursions and sign and lip-reading classes, in order

to increase confidence and independence and tackle loneliness.

The new services, starting in May, build on a pilot project developed with social enterprise The Lens, which helps organisations develop new ideas and innovation and the funding available.

Taking place in community venues and hubs throughout the area to ensure as many people as possible can take part, the new servise build upon on a successful range of existing groups and support delivered from FVSC's Camelon base.

The new funding available will also create three new jobs and open up 12 volunteer positions to cater to the increase activities.

Jacquie Winning MBE, chief executive of Forth Valley Sensory Centre, said: “We are extremely grateful to The National Lottery Community Fund for providing us with an opportunity to become a genuinely Forth Valley wide service for people with sensory loss.

“We know from our many years of supporting people with sight and/or hearing loss in the Forth Valley that loneliness, isolation and loss of confidence are some of the biggest problems that people with sensory loss face.

“Our overall objective is to help people who have a sensory impairment live as independently as possible and we are proud of how our range of activities and classes, including access to IT and tech support, cookery classes, visits and excursions and sign and lip-reading classes, will continue to break down those barriers and help people live their lives to the full.”