By: Ainhoa Anero, Naya Valles, Irati Alonso, Sofia Gastelu

LAST week the Royal National Institute for the Blind, a charity which supports people with sight loss, organised an event in Bucky Doo Square to promote the charity, raise awareness and funds.

Bridport Mayor Sandra Brown was there to help, knowing first-hand how much support blind people need.

She said: “My mother was blind for 25 years and she really struggled, and I think the RNIB is really important.”

The RNIB is one of her mayoral charities and she will be organising a fund-riasing quiz for the charity later in the year.

She added: “I recommend and encourages people in Bridport with blindness or sight loss to get in touch with the RNIB, which can offer facilities.

“If you contact the RNIB, they can be a tremendous help.”

RNIB fundraiser Natalie Hargreaves was also in Bucky Doo Square.

She said: “We help people who are blind to maintain their independence, and do normal things such as; travelling, cooking, going to school, going to work.

“To promote our charity, we usually go around places like this, local towns and villages. We also give talks.

“The RNIB does not have any economic support. 1,000 people work in the RNIB, and we support two million people.

The charity encourages people with sight loss to work for them.

Natalie added: “We have a lot of different equipment like audio computers so they could do all the work we can do but in a different way.”

The RNIB was founded in 1868 by Thomas Rhodes Armitage, a doctor who suffered from eyesight problems. In 1948 the organisation was conceived a Royal Charter.

It is governed by a board of trustees. The Board has 24 members, more than half of them are blind or partially sighted.