CamSight at the Grand Arcade

Over the past three months, CamSight has hosted a series of fundraising and awareness stands at the Grand Arcade shopping centre in Cambridge. Coinciding with both National Eye Health Week and World Sight Day, these events have been a fantastic opportunity to connect with the public, raise vital funds, and share more about our work supporting people with sight loss.

One of the highlights of our stand were the simulation specs, where visitors of all ages could try on glasses that simulate various sight loss conditions. This interactive experience sparked meaningful conversations and helped raise awareness about the realities of living with visual impairment.

Our stand also held a fantastic tombola filled with wonderful prizes kindly donated by different Cambridgeshire businesses. Other fundraising games at our stand included a Teddy Tombola and Halloween Mystery Box!

A huge thank you goes out to the Cambridgeshire businesses who generously donated prizes for our tombola. Their support made a real difference:

• IOLLA Cambridge donated four £85 vouchers for stylish new glasses. An incredibly generous gift that delighted our winners.
• ARK Cambridge contributed a selection of children’s toys, bags, and cozy hot water bottles.
• Socktopus added flair with four pairs of fun, patterned socks, including a Cambridge-themed design.
• The Grand Arcade's Rituals store kindly provided a luxurious gift box of their products.
• Jack’s Gelato donated ice cream tokens that went down a treat too!

These fundraising activities and a bucket taking donations raised around £500 overall. We are pleased with this brilliant result that will go directly towards supporting our services.

Importantly, thank you to the Grand Arcade team for welcoming us and allowing us to host these stands, it’s been a pleasure to be part of the community space. 

Finally, thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hello. We loved reconnecting with familiar faces and meeting new ones too. We have been able to recommend services, sign up new volunteers, and build some truly valuable connections throughout this stand series.

We look forward to more opportunities to engage with the community in the future!