Awareness event helps shoppers experience blindness

Yesterday’s initiative in the Marlowes Shopping Centre was designed mark World Sight Day.

In the mall’s central display area, Lions allowed shoppers to experience having limited vision while carrying out everyday tasks such as making a sandwich, a cup of tea or walking around the mall.

Those with existing visual impairments also walked blindfolded people around the centre.

Marlowes retail executive Cassie Peasnell tried out the challenging task with white cane user Richard Harrington and Lionbs club chairman Gren Derrick.

She said: “Sight is something you realise how much you take for granted. As soon as your sight is gone you are aware of so much more of the noises of the centre.

“It was really off-putting not knowing how close those noises were to you, it made me quite on edge.”

The day highlighted the importance of getting regular eye checks.

The Lions’ bookshop in the Marlowes will also be offering diabetic screenings this Saturday, October 11.

The shop is also in desperate need of donations of paperback books, so bring along any unwanted reads so that they can be sold on to help fund the Lions’ friendly missions.