Our Latest News
Introducing Bury Sight Support
We want to announce an important milestone in the future of our charity, at the AGM on 8th October we revealed our new trading name: Bury Sight Support.
Following nearly two years of consultation and conversations with our community, we have chosen a name that better reflects the breadth of our work supporting blind and partially sighted people across Bury and the surrounding areas.
While our registered charity name will remain Bury Society for Blind & Partially Sighted People, we will gradually introduce Bury Sight Support as our public-facing name over the next six months.
This change represents an exciting step forward for our organisation. Although our name is changing, our commitment remains exactly the same: to provide practical support, promote independence, improve wellbeing and help people living with sight loss to live life to the fullest.
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts and contribute to the consultation process. Your views have helped shape this important decision, and we are delighted to be moving forward with a name that reflects both who we are today and our ambitions for the future.
As we begin this new chapter, we look forward to continuing our work alongside our wonderful clients, volunteers, supporters and partners.
A new name, a new garden space and the same caring community – welcome to Bury Sight Support!
Social Events & Activities
Mayor’s Quiz Night: What a brilliant night! Our own Michael Johnson set the quiz, with David Catterall joining us as quizmaster for the evening. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves and entered into the spirit of the occasion. The overall winners were ‘No Way We’ll Win’ with 62 points, followed by ‘Umpty Trumpty’ with 58.5 points. The evening raised £500 for the Mayor’s two chosen charities, Bury Blind Society and Bury Hospice. Make a note in your diary: the next Mayor’s fundraising event is a Curry Night at The Armaan Restaurant in Radcliffe on Monday 23rd November. Tickets cost £20. For further details, please contact the office. Thank you to everyone who took part!
A Day at Margaret Haes Riding School 2026
Our clients recently enjoyed a fantastic few hours at Margaret Haes Riding School, where they had the opportunity to get up close to some very special four-legged friends!
The visit was a wonderful chance to try something a little different, with everyone getting involved in riding, grooming and learning all about horses. From meeting the horses and getting them ready, to experiencing the excitement of riding, there was plenty to see, do and enjoy.
For some of our clients, it was a completely new experience, and it was wonderful to see everyone getting involved, building confidence and having fun along the way.
There were plenty of smiles, lots of questions and, of course, lots of time spent making new equine friends!
A huge thank you to everyone at Margaret Haes Riding School for making us feel so welcome and helping our clients enjoy such a memorable day.
We’re already looking forward to our next adventure!
We had a wonderful afternoon on Tuesday welcoming friends from Age UK and staff from Avoira. In April, to mark their 50th anniversary, Avoira kindly donated several Echo Dot devices to both organisations. This visit gave us the chance to share how useful they have been. Avoira enjoyed meeting clients and hearing their stories so much that they have offered us some additional devices. If you have internet access, do not already have an Echo Dot, and would like to try one, please let us know.
A Fantastic Day at Tottington's Big Day Out!
What a brilliant day we had at Tottington's Big Day Out!
Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, we raised just over £275 to help support local people living with sight loss – and we had lots of fun along the way!
Our interactive Hoopla Challenge, using simulation spectacles (sim specs), gave visitors the opportunity to experience some of the everyday challenges that sight loss can bring. It sparked some fantastic conversations, raised awareness and reminded us just how important understanding, inclusion and accessibility are.
Of course, our ever-popular tombola was a big hit too, with plenty of smiles, lucky winners and excited prize hunters throughout the day!
A huge thank you goes to every single person who volunteered their time, stopped by for a chat, had a go at Hoopla, tried their luck on the tombola, made a donation or simply came along to support us. Every conversation, every laugh and every contribution helped make the day such a success.
Community events like these are about so much more than fundraising. They bring people together, help spread awareness of sight loss and remind us of the kindness and generosity that exists across our borough.
From everyone at Bury Blind Society, thank you for helping to make Tottington's Big Day Out such a memorable occasion. We can't wait to see you again at our next event!
Volunteers Week 2026: Celebration volunteers across the UK.
Fabulous night!
Our Celebration Party was packed with laughter, dancing, great company, and enough smiles to power BBS for months to come! It was wonderful to bring together our Volunteers, Clients, Friends, Families, and Staff for an evening of fun and appreciation.
A few special shout-outs are definitely deserved:
Moondance – thank you for keeping the dance floor busy and the feet tapping all night long with your fantastic entertainment!
The Masonic Hall team – thank you for looking after us so brilliantly and helping everything run smoothly.
Ramsbottom Rotary – thank you for your generous contribution and support in making the event such a success.
And if anyone needs proof of just how much fun was had... check out the photographic evidence!
Of course, BBS simply couldn't do what it does without our incredible volunteers. Whether you joined us at the party or couldn't make it this time, please know how grateful we are for every hour, every smile, and every bit of support you give. You are the heart of BBS.
If you know someone who would like to get involved, spread the word! Whether they're looking for work experience, building their CV, filling some spare time after retirement, or simply wanting to make a difference in their community, there's a place for them at BBS.
Audience with Gill Currie
What a wonderful afternoon we had, it was fantastic to see so many clients, volunteers, friends, and supporters come together to enjoy an inspiring and engaging conversation.
The event was filled with warmth, laughter, and great company, and it was a pleasure to share the occasion with such a supportive community. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the evening such a memorable success.
BBS ON TOUR 2.0 – What a Night!
We are absolutely thrilled to share that BBS ON TOUR 2.0 raised an incredible £847.00! ?
It was truly an amazing event, filled with fabulous acts, a wonderful audience, and an atmosphere that we won’t forget anytime soon. The energy, passion, and support in the room made it something really special.
A huge thank you to everyone who made it possible — from the talented performers who lit up the stage, to those working behind the scenes, and of course to our fantastic audience for showing up and supporting us. Your time, effort, talent, and kindness mean the world.
We couldn’t have done it without you all. ?
Here’s to making it even bigger and better next year… BBS ON TOUR 3.0, we’re coming for you!
Luxury Gift Wrapping - 11th-24th December 2025
A huge thank you to everyone who supported us during our Christmas Gift Wrapping. We raised a record-breaking £2,584.16 for 2025. We are genuinely overwhelmed by the generosity, kindness and festive spirit shown by everyone who helped, used the service, supported us through the Tombola or donated - Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and we hope to see you all again in 2026.
Fundraising, Events and Activities News:
Cycle 4 Sight
Thanks to everyone who participated in our Cycle 4 Sight Challenge. Your help pushed us well beyond our original goal of 66 miles clocking in at around 150 miles and we raised £552.18 during the week long event. Picture below from the finalé at our AGM with the Mayor of Bury.
Bury 10K
A huge thank you to Peter Halligan & Michael Johnson for participating in the Bury 10K Run and raising funds for Bury Blind Society. The total raised between both Peter and Michael was £637.00.
Margaret Haes Horse Riding Session
Fabulous time was had by all at the Margaret Haes Riding Centre earlier in August. A huge thank you to all who took part and helped on the day.
Open Day for our ‘Revamped Garden’
A great turn out for the opening of our garden, Danni sang to us while we ate sandwiches and cakes beautifully prepared by Carole and Mags - what’s not to enjoy!! The raffle and café raised a total of £161.70. Thank you to everyone who made it an amazing day and special thanks to Michael and Nick for their garden preparation – couldn’t have done it without you guys!
