We believe that everyone deserves the chance to lead an independent, happy and fulfilled life. Help us to unlock the potential of London's blind and partially sighted people.

Who we are

Helping children cope with sight lossOur mission is to make London the best city in the world for blind and visually impaired people to live.

The GLFB is a fund-raising charity. We don't provide direct services ourselves, but we raise money for our member charities and other grassroots organisations that help improve the lives of blind and visually impaired people across the capital. And while we do the fundraising, the charities can concentrate on doing what they do best – providing care and support.

Who we help

There are more than 39,000 registered blind and visually impaired people living in London - that's enough to fill the Albert Hall every night for a week. For many of these, blindness brings isolation, vulnerability and lack of independence. Tracy and Irwin

Just venturing outside can be a traumatic experience. Activities that improve our quality of life – sport, the arts, keeping fit – are often denied to them. And the sad fact is that unemployment among the visually impaired is more than 70 per cent, even though many have useful skills they are willing and able to contribute to society.

We believe it doesn't have to be this way and we are working with our member charities to change it.

Our work

We fund community organisations run by dedicated experts who work tirelessly to make a difference to people's lives. We look for those that have the most impact, and that would otherwise struggle to raise funds. They often have to make do with limited resources, yet their work is vital.

You can read all about our members, special projects we have funded and people we have been able to help elsewhere on the site.  However, here are some examples of the work our member organisations do:

• Lunch clubs – isolation is a big problem for visually impaired people, our members run social clubs where people
  have a chance to catch up with friends over lunch, or perhaps a game of bowls.

• Recreation activities for children – fun, confidence-building activities such as ice-skating or cricket, that are often out of bounds for families with a visually impaired child.

• Help with applying for statutory benefits – sometimes a little financial support can make all the difference.

• Employment and training – if you have a job, you have more self-respect and financial independence.

If you would like further information on any aspect of our work then please do get in touch.