Kent
We’re excited to announce the launch of Kent Sight Loss Council (SLC) in Autumn 2025. Kent SLC will become our third SLC in the South East, joining our established SLCs in Sussex and Hampshire. We are now looking for volunteers to join us.
Sight Loss Councils, funded by Thomas Pocklington Trust, are regional groups led by blind and partially sighted (BPS) volunteers. Together, we use our lived experience to tackle the things that really matter to blind and partially sighted people, every day.
Kent SLC will engage with the local blind and partially sighted community and collaborate with service providers to drive improvements both locally and nationally. Our work focuses on key priority themes. These include, on a national level, transport, the built environment, and health and fitness. Locally we will also focus on arts and culture, and retail.
Recent highlights from the South East region
- Taking a leading role in the national wide #CutItBack campaign
- Supporting the development of bus driver training materials used across the UK
- Working with Govia Thameslink Railway to improve station accessibility, including trials and rollout of the AIRA app across 236 stations
- Creating the ‘Top Tips for Supermarket Staff’ resource to support blind and partially sighted customers in-store.
SLCs help increase access to the arts and culture
Get Involved
If you’re blind or partially sighted and passionate about making a difference, we’d love to hear from you. Join a community of like-minded volunteers working to create lasting change.
“I wanted to use my lived experience to help raise awareness of how simple things could help vision impaired people to engage in everyday activities. Being part of the SLC and being able to make a difference has felt very empowering.
Patricia, Hampshire SLC
Join us
Why should I volunteer?
If you want to make a real difference on the issues that affect blind and partially sighted people both on a national and local scale, joining our Sight loss Council could be the perfect volunteering opportunity for you.
Join us
You will support us to engage with organisations, policy makers and local service providers to improve access for blind and partially sighted people. It is also a great opportunity to come together with other blind and partially sighted people in your area.
Kate Healey, Hampshire SLC Volunteer, said:
“My former boss suggested I join Hampshire Sight Loss Council as she believed I had the right skills to help contribute towards making positive changes for people living in Hampshire who have sight loss.
“I’m glad I acted on the recommendation because, since doing so, I’ve been able to help increase people’s awareness of the challenges that living with sight loss brings on a day-to-day basis, and working on projects with like-minded people really does make a difference. I like the fact that projects can vary from anything transport related to retail, health and the built environment. I can use my expertise in different ways.”
This is your chance to develop your skills and influence positive change.
Hear from our volunteers about why you should join us
Training and development
It’s really important to us that you get as much as possible out of volunteering. You’ll receive relevant training and the opportunity to learn or enhance your skills. Whether you’re interested in public speaking or honing your social media skills, there’s something for everyone to get involved in.
Stay in the know
Want to get involved in our national campaigns? Stay up to date with news from Sight Loss Councils and Thomas Pocklington Trust by signing up to our mailing list.