Events

Over the years we have organised large-scale events in various places such as Venue Cymru, Llandudno, Portmeirion, Galeri Caernarfon and the Royal Oak, Welshpool, Powys.

It’s a great opportunity for members and others to come along and explore what is new in the world of vision enhancement. It also offers the opportunity to discover more about attaining and maintaining independence.

We have also organised smaller local information days which gives a further opportunity to see what support is available. These events are well attended by our members and their families.

We are now planning a large event on Thursday, September 26, 2024 at Y Ganolfan, Porthmadog, Gwynedd.

For more information about North Wales Society of the Blind events please contact Bethan on 01248 353604 or bethan@nwsb.org.uk

08.11.24 Paint job transformation for our resources centre

The Cymdeithas Deillion Gogledd Cymru North Wales Society of the Blind’s resources centre and offices have been transformed after being painted in our corporate colours.

The centre at 325, High Street, Bangor, Gwynedd is an important location for people living with sight loss and offers a display of the latest equipment along with the necessary information.

A number of people come here to the centre either to find out what resources are available or to receive information and support from our Society staff who are experts in their field.

Read the full story and view photos and videos - Paint job transformation

06.11.24 Views, castle and goats – an interesting walk around Llanberis

21 walkers joined our walk around the village of Llanberis, amidst the splendour of the mountains of Eryri.

Eurwyn Thomas, one of the club's volunteers, led the walk around his home village.

It was a circuit of about 4 miles along established tracks in the main.

We met up at the car park near the 'Llafn y Cewri' statue at 11:00am.

Read the full story and view photos and videos - Llanberis walk

15.10.24 Opportunity for people living with sight loss to drive car on a race track

If you live with sight loss but would love to drive a car on a race track, here is your opportunity.

Speed of Sight, a registered charity, are holding an event on Tuesday, October 15th at Trac Môn, Ty Croes, Ynys Môn.

Cymdeithas Deillion Gogledd Cymru North Wales Society of the Blind have previously held similar events with Speed of Sight at Trac Môn.

The charity is offering this fantastic driving experience for a total registration fee of £59 per person, rather than the full fee of £159.

Read the full story and view photos and videos - Opportunity to drive on race track

11.10.24 – Blas o gynnwys rhifyn Hydref, Papur Menai

Papur Menai - the community newspaper covering Penmon to Dwyran, Ynys Môn - is read every month by volunteers.

Their readings are recorded by Cymdeithas Deillion Gogledd Cymru - North Wales Society of The Blind in our studio in Bangor.

The CD recordings from the paper are then sent by post to anyone who would prefer to have an audio version.

Read the full story and view photos and videos - Papur Menai October issue

09.10.24 Blas o gynnwys rhifyn Hydref o bapur bro Lleu (Welsh Only)

Mae Lleu - papur bro Dyffryn Nantlle – yn cael ei ddarllen bob mis gan wirfoddolwyr. Mae’n cael ei recordio gan Gymdeithas Deillion Gogledd Cymru ym Mangor. Dyma flas o gynnwys rhifyn mis Hydref – diolch i’r darllenwyr Gwenda Evans a Gwennie Williams.

Fideo - Rhifyn Hydref papur bro Lleu

26.09.24 Hundreds visit successful Open Day at Porthmadog

A large number of people living with sight loss attended a special Open Day organised by the North Wales Blind Association in Porthmadog yesterday. The Society has previously organised a number of similar days in locations similar to the Venue in Llandudno, Portmeirion and the Royal Oak in Welshpool, Powys. This time the event was held at Y Ganolfan, Porthmadog so that people from south Gwynedd as well as people from mid Wales had the opportunity to attend. Many had also come from Ceredigion. The intention was to show everyone the latest equipment available including electronic devices.

Read the full story and view photos and videos - Open day at Porthmadog

23.9.24 Bayside Radio visits Colwyn Bay North Wales Society of the Blind Club

Over 25 members of the club gathered in Colwyn Bay today to record a program with Bayside Radio. The club meets every second and fourth Monday of the month at @20, Station Road, Colwyn Bay. It is open to everyone living with sight loss and organises events and activities for everyone who come along.It's a very social and welcoming club too and everyone always has time to have a chat, share experiences and enjoy tea and coffee and a cake or two!

Read the full story and view photos and videos - Bayside Radio Visit

18.09.24 Taith gerdded Pentrefelin, Cricieth

Fifteen people joined the club's latest pleasant walk which included a visit to Eglwys Cynhaearn near Pentrefelin, Cricieth.

Our bus started as usual from the North Wales Society of the Blind office in Bangor at 10.30am before going on to pick up walkers in Caernarfon.

After meeting at Pysgota Eisteddfa, Pentrefelin, we started our journey led by Marian Jones.

After crossing the busy road, we went along paths and fields arriving at the church.

The church stands on land that was once an island in Llyn Ystumllyn. In more recent times the nearby river was redirected so that the land around the church is now dry.

Cynhaearn ap Cynwel was a man of princely descent who began monastic life following the death of his father at the hands of the Saxons.

His brother was Sant Aelhaearn who is associated with Llanaelhaearn. It is said that Cynhaearn rowed out to the island on Lake Ystumllyn and possibly built his church in the 5G.

Read the full story and view photos and videos - Pentrefelin walk

16.9.2024 Visual impairment awareness training course, Cyngor Gwynedd, Caernarfon

Fourteen care workers in Gwynedd joined our visual impairment awareness training course to learn how to work together with people living with sight loss.

The course leaders were Dafydd Eckley and Nick Thomas - both working for the North Wales Society of The Blind.

Dafydd began by explaining that at least 400 people in Gwynedd are registered as blind or partially blind.

He also explained that the function of North Wales Society of The Blind is to help to maximise the visual abilities of each client - both children and adults.

He gave details about some of the many eye conditions that exist and the help that is available to everyone.

Nick explained about his own visual impairment and praised the work of the Society’s rehabilitation workers who are able to provide support to clients in their own homes or at our centre on Bangor High Street.

Nick said: “Our support is available to everyone. Each individual has different needs."

Nick and Dafydd showed the various equipment available to people living with sight loss before giving everyone on the course the opportunity to have a practice session guiding a person experiencing sight loss by wearing a blindfold.

Everyone gave positive feedback to the training shared by Dafydd and Nick and were of the opinion that they had learned a lot during the session.

Read the full story and view photos and videos - Visual Impairment training course

21.8.2024 Carmel circular walk

Fifteen of us joined our latest walk – a circular one - starting and ending in the village of Carmel above Caernarfon.

Carmel is in Dyffryn Nantlle, Gwynedd, between Groeslon and Y Fron.

Read the full story and view photos and videos - Carmel walk

Mural shows nothing stands in the way of children and young people living with sight loss

Children and young people have come together to paint a mural that reflects their feelings and experiences of sight loss.

Under the guidance of graffiti artist Andy Birch, they set about using cans to spray paint to create graffiti at the North Wales Society of the Blind office in Bangor.

The group set about planning and painting a colourful mural which decorates the resource centre and welcomes all who visit.

One of the group, Lauren, said: “I've enjoyed being part of a group of people who have created something that is going to stay there forever. It was my idea to make a bee on the wall because they can be resilient and to show that living with sight loss doesn't have to be an obstacle for anyone to achieve things."

Read the full story and view photos and videos - Andy Birch mural

Betws-y-Coed to Llyn Elsi, Wednesday, July 17, 2024

The sun was shining as we went on our latest trip from Betws-y-Coed to Lyn Elsi.

We had changed the location of the proposed walk from Capel Curig to Bwthyn Ogwen because the weather had been so wet recently and that route could have been too muddy.

We felt that this walk to Llyn Elsi would be much better.

Read the full story and view photos and videos - Betws-y-coed to Llyn Elsi

Climbing sessions a great success

The climbing sessions for children and young people at the Beacon centre, Caernarfon were a great success with everyone enjoying them.

The event was organised by Nick Thomas, development officer with the North Wales Society of the Blind with support from the Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC) and Guide Dogs Cymru.

It was an opportunity for children with sight and young people and their families to meet each other and have fun and share experiences and stories.

Two sessions were held - one for children aged 4-12 and the other for young people 12-17.

The event was such a success that the Society will organise another in the future.

Read the full story and view photos and videos - Climbing Sessions

Awareness Training to mark Volunteers Week

A dozen volunteers received awareness training from the North Wales Society of the Blind.

The training was specially organised by the charity as part of Volunteer Week June 3-9.

The week also celebrated 40 years of similar weeks held to inspire volunteers to make a difference.

During the session, the volunteers were trained by experienced rehabilitation officers how to guide people with sight loss along the streets of Bangor.

The training was held at the Quaker Centre, Dean Street, Bangor on Friday, June 7.

The Society has a dedicated team of volunteers to help them in a variety of different roles.

The event was organised by engagement officer Bethan Sage Williams and led by two rehabilitation officers, Dafydd Eckley and Sara Milner-Jones.

Dafydd said: "There was a very good response to the training and I would like to thank the volunteers very much for joining.

"Our volunteers are an important part of the Society's work and enable us to carry out walks with our Clwb Cerdded Eryri for example."

NWSB chief executive Steven Jones said: “Our volunteers also help us run regular social clubs such as the one held monthly in Colwyn Bay, for example.

"We as a Society are proud to have organised a special event to mark Volunteers' Week and look forward to holding more in the near future.

"Anyone who would like to join us as volunteers are welcome to contact us."