CamSight Connect: You said, we listened

Our Services:  

You said: You want clearer information about our services and more regular updates. 
We will: Continue promoting through as many outlets as possible, including opticians, GP surgeries, VI Forums, and community groups, and improve what we share on social media and with partners like Cambridge and Peterborough Talking News. Our re-launched e-newsletters give quarterly updates on what our teams are up to across the county, as well local news and information. We read out our newsletters at our Peer Support Groups to make sure people who aren’t online can still be kept up to date with who we are and what we’re doing.  Our Groups are also the best way to find out about relevant local news and information, as other attendees can often provide additional insight. Remember: our volunteer drivers service helps many people get to the Groups – give us a call if you think this service could help you.   

You said: Peer Support Groups are really valuable, and suggested more interaction or themes. 
We will: Keep the Groups focused on a mix of information sharing, discussion of daily challenges and solutions, a guest speaker, and ongoing support from our Support & Advice and Equipment & Accessibility teams. Each group is shaped by feedback from our annual Peer Support Group Surveys (held in January) which helps form our speaker and event programme. We will add these suggestions to the survey, and ensure themes are advertised well in advance to help members plan attendance.  

You said: It isn't clear how much support our Equipment & Advice Service can provide, and you’d like more technology training. 
We will: Make our Equipment & Accessibility service definition clearer, and have already begun exploring a technology-focussed group, supported by our team but led by a volunteer.  At the moment we are unable to provide this more in-depth support ourselves, but we’ll keep seeking free sessions with partners like Ability Net, Apple, the RNIB and Cambridge Online.   

You asked: What social opportunities do we provide? 
We offer: Activities such as Pilates (Cambridge), Lunch and Walk (March), Chair Based Exercise (March), and the Botanic Garden Sensory Guided Walks (Cambridge), as well as supporting VI Rowing (Peterborough), VI Tennis (Cambridge), and one-off events such as the 2025 Wicken Fen (Ely) events.  All of these activities are dependant on external funding and volunteer support.  

As well as these, our Sighted Guide Programme and volunteering service supports service users to access ‘mainstream’ activities such as going to the gym, swimming, or exhibitions and other social events. Our re-launched befriending service also provides social connection on a more one-to-one basis. 

What about our Peer Support Groups? The purpose of the Peer Support Groups is to provide a reassuring space for service users to discuss their daily challenges and share ideas on how to manage them. The groups are social and friendly by nature, but have evolved from their previous informal coffee-morning style to make sure they are a valuable information resource for our service users. Guest speakers are usually chosen in response to relevant topics, but at certain times of the year, for example near Christmas, may be more informal. 

As a charity, the increasingly competitive funding environment has meant we have had to focus on funding our core services, and have not been able to provide new social activities in recent years. We will continue to support our existing activities for as long as we can. 

You asked: Do we still support young people with low vision or blindness? 
We answered: Yes - children, young people, and their families receive the same level of support as adults. Part of our support includes signposting people to specialist organisations who will be better able to assist. This means we are not duplicating services and allows us (and other charities) to specialise in certain areas and employ appropriately trained staff. We believe this is the best way for us to support young people in the county.   

Two respondents said: Braille is important to them. 
We will: Always tailor our support to each individual’s needs and preferences, and continue to signpost to organisations such as the RNIB, who provide Braille training, resources, equipment, and a transcription service. The Braillists Foundation offers similar support, including weekly drop in sessions. CamSight used to have a volunteer who delivered Braille training and in-house transcription, however after she retired we have been unable to find someone with the skills to replace them. This means we cannot directly provide CamSight documentation in Braille and need to use an external service like the ones previously mentioned, however we will always strive to do this if asked.   

Volunteering:

You said: Volunteers are amazing and essential. 
We agree! We now have over 120 active volunteers across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, supporting our services in a variety of ways including (but not limited to) drivers, befrienders, sighted guides, peer support group volunteers, at events and as Trustees. Our volunteers include people with low vision and blindness as well as sighted volunteers, and many volunteers help with tasks behind the scenes. We couldn't do what we do without them.   

You said: We need more volunteers and in more areas.  
We will: Continue to take great care in matching the right service user with the right volunteer, which can take time. We have renewed our connections with volunteer recruitment fairs and networks, as well as our volunteer training and development programme. We are always looking for new volunteers in both rural and town/city areas, and have recently begun working with Anglia Ruskin University Optometry students (in both Peterborough and Cambridge) which is not only a great help to us, but also helping the next generation of Optometrists become more aware of the impact local sight loss charities have.  In the new year we will be recruiting a Lived Experience Network to help consult with partner organisations and community services.   

Funds and Fundraising:

You asked: Are we approaching businesses? 
We are. We have recently developed our programme of awareness training and talks for businesses and companies, which has already proven popular and is providing more funding for CamSight. Being able to approach new companies with something like this also gives us the opportunity to talk about Charity Of The Year partnerships, or corporate donation and sponsorship opportunities.  This is an area of our work that is growing again after a few years of inactivity.    

You asked: Do we receive funding from the Council? 
We answered: Yes. Since 2021, Peterborough and Cambridgeshire Councils have part-funded our Support and Advice Service, and will continue to do so until March 2027. The service has grown significantly since the contract began, as have our costs due to inflation and other factors, and we remain in talks with the Councils to address the shortfalls faced. 

You said: Fundraising events often feel Cambridge-focused. 
We will: Plan more county-wide events, including having more of a presence at Peterborough’s Great Eastern Run, and new inclusive activities in 2026. Many of our recent events have been organised by 3rd parties who have selected us to benefit, for example the orchestral concerts, quiz and band nights, and we are very grateful for their support! 

You also asked: Why don't we do blindfold events like Dine In The Dark? 
These style events can be very impactful but also controversial, as the experience doesn’t reflect the lived reality of blindness or low vision, and can be interpreted as trivialising or making fun of real-life challenges. We have therefore not promoted this kind of event in recent years. However, when delivered emphatically and informatively something similar can be a great way to raise awareness of how people can adapt and retain their independence. Our fundraising team would happily discuss ways we could do this with any interested parties.  

Future Plans:

You asked for an update on our plan to lease CamSight’s office on Green End Road, Cambridge.  
We've had several viewings on the property, and we’re in discussions with a potential tenant for a long lease. If successful, this would enable us to downsize and provide a steady income stream, supporting our financial stability and future planning. We hope to provide a fuller update in early 2026. 

You asked: How are we reaching new people? 
We promote our services through opticians, GP surgeries, VI Forums and RNIB Connect, local community groups, directories and events like the Golden Age Fairs, at our Peer Support Groups, and other forms of free community resource. Changes to the CVI (Certificate of Visual Impairment) process in 2026 will mean that our details will also be shared earlier in the clinical pathway - including automatic referrals into our services.