New sight loss support centre and shop opens in Salisbury

More than 20,000 people in Wiltshire live with significant sight loss

Author: Henrietta CreaseyPublished 10th Nov 2021

Wiltshire Sight has opened a new Salisbury Hub in the city which combines a charity shop with a services and resource centre for people suffering sight loss.

More than 20,000 people in Wiltshire are currently living with significant sight loss, and Wiltshire Sight is the only charity providing local face-to-face support services to help people to continue living active and independent lives.

The charity say the new facility at 23 Catherine Street will "enable us to provide more local one-to-one support to people in the south of Wiltshire, funded by a charity shop in the heart of Salisbury."

The design of the shop has accessibility at its core, particularly for people with sight loss. It has wide pathways and spacing on the shop floor, high contrast colours for the till area and doorframes, and an accessible till system designed with visually-impaired volunteers in mind.

As well as traditional charity retail items and new goods, the store will also be selling some of the most commonly used daily living aids, simple technology and gadgets to help visually impaired residents

The shop will be open seven days a week.

The ground floor of the building also houses a consultation room and resource centre

Anyone wishing to make an appointment with the charity's local Community Sight Loss Advisor, Alison, should call 01380 723682.

Mike Silvey, CEO of Wiltshire Sight, says:

“We are very excited to be opening our new premises, which will provide a base for local services in the South of the county, enabling us to provide more local, accessible services for people struggling with sight loss. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has helped make this happen – our supporters, our volunteers and those who have generously donated such high quality stock. As a small local charity, we rely on members of our community supporting us, and they really have done us proud.”

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.