Kindness in Falkirk: Camelon Slimming World members vow to help Forth Valley Sensory Centre

Slimming World Camelon members plan lose 250lbs of weight together in January as they accept the ‘Take on 250’ challenge.

Every day 250 people lose their sight in the UK and the Take on 250 challenge is designed to remind everyone to take good care of their eyes.

The slimming club meets weekly in the centre in Redbrae Road, Camelon.

Slimming World group consultant, Sandra McEwan said: “January is always a time when people think more about their health and weight loss is one of the most common goals. We’ll be making sure that our members lose the weight safely, in a way that means it stays off too.

“We are hoping to raise £250 at least through sponsorship but hopefully we will get a little bit more. One of our members, Erin Callan, works for Diageo and has already secured match funding from them as part of their employee programme which is great news.

“Being based here at the centre has really shown us some of the challenges that people with sensory conditions face on a daily basis so we are delighted to be able to provide some support to the charity and also help raise awareness of sight loss and some of the causes.”

The Take on 250 challenge is a national initiative supported by RNIB and sight loss sector umbrella body Visionary. The aim is for smaller, local charities to encourage support from the community by asking people to find their own 250 challenge this January.

Forth Valley Sensory Centre chief executive Jacquie Winning said: “This is fantastic support from Sandra and Slimming World. January is very much the time for thinking about our health and wellbeing but there are real benefits. Being overweight can lead to a number of health concerns, including diabetes or strokes, both of which can have a serious effect on eyesight so Slimming World members are improving their physical health but also protecting their eye health. We hope it all goes brilliantly and can’t wait to see the results at the end of January.”

Slimming World meets each Wednesday at the centre from 5.30pm. Anyone wishing to join or support the members in their challenge, can contact Sandra via their Facebook page or call Sandra on 07803 172441.

Anyone looking to support the centre is being encouraged to raise funds by taking part in The Kiltwalk. When buying any gifts or sale items through the smile.amazon.co.uk portal, just choose Forth Valley Sensory Centre as your chosen charity. Co-op members can also choose us as their charity for this year or, you can donate directly via www.givey.com/forthvalleysensorycentre with 100 per cent of your donation going to the charity.

You can find out more about their work at www.forthvalleysensorycentre.org or by following them on social media @FVSensoryCentre.

The centre was the first of its kind in the UK. Built at a cost of £1.5million, it has been open for 16 years.

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