Our fundraising team
Ailsa Walter (Community Fundraiser)
Following two retinal detachments in 2003 it came to my attention that my consultant Chris Canning and Andrew (Prof Lotery) were training to run the London Marathon in 2005 to raise funds for the Gift of Sight Appeal. Their commitment inspired me to raise some sponsorship and I have enjoyed my involvement with the Appeal since that time. I feel that we are exceptionally lucky to have such an excellent Eye Unit in Southampton, together with the facility for Professor Lotery and his team to undertake such vital research. I am delighted to be working with so many kind people who are all helping to raise funds in our bid to beat blindness and have made some good friends along the way.
The Skydive was an amazing experience and it's now time to sort out a personal challenge for 2011!
Jackie Davies
Jackie is a patient of the eye unit at Southampton General Hospital and is working on a voluntary basis to help Ailsa with her increasing workload. Her secretarial skills are proving very beneficial and she has joined in all our schemes with huge enthusiasm. Welcome aboard Jackie.
Susan Symes
Susan has supported Gift of Sight for many years by making and selling cards and organising exhibitions of her button collections. She has been in great demand recently to give talks about the buttons which she has collected and which are amazingly displayed on boards, some of which are taken with her when she gives talks to local groups. The buttons are varied and set out according to ‘groups’ including enamel buttons, boot buttons, pearly buttons, jet buttons and military buttons to name just a few. Susan also makes cards and sells them at fairs and fetes in order to make more money for us and has now donated in excess of £2000.
We are very grateful to Susan for her incredible voluntary work on our behalf and must make mention of her husband John who is very supportive and who joins in with good grace and enthusiasm.
05.05.09
Greta Paxton
Greta hosts an annual coffee morning at her house to raise funds for Gift of Sight and is a wonderful advertisement for treatments now offered to patients at the Southampton Eye Unit. Greta suffers from dry age-related macular degeneration and has recently benefited from the insertion of new lenses to her eyes which has given her improved vision.
Emma Scott-Copeland
Emma is a soprano soloist and sings with various choral societies and musical groups in the South of England. Together with her husband Richard, who is a professional organist and accompanist, she has very kindly organised support for our Appeal through their professional engagements. Emma, who suffers from eye disease, is a patient of Professor Lotery and is full of praise for the staff in Southampton Eye Unit who deal with her on a regular basis.
10.3.10