Thanks to so many kind donations in 2011 we have been able to support thousands of people like Claire, who kindly wrote the poem below.
When asked recently about the support she receives from her local blind association she said:
'I don't know what we would do if we didn't have this place to come to. The staff are so wonderful and kind – they're like angels.'
We featured Claire's poem in our Christmas card this year, and we wanted to share it with you here as well...
Claire's Christmas Poem
No moon, no star, no glittering Christmas tree
Dark moon, dark star, all is dark for me
No frosted cards, no silver bells, no robins in the snow
No Christmas wreaths, no holly leaves, no tempting mistletoe
No Eastern Kings, no angel wings, no candles burning bright
No laughing eyes, no plump mince pies, no reindeer in the night
No smiling lips, no packaged gifts, no dear old man in red
No icy scenes, no fairy queens, no manger for a bed
But wait...
This is not the whole ...
Through the silent echoes of my night
Through the loss of my precious sight
Down the corridors of empty space
My world moves to another place
I feel the prickles on the holly green
I trace the glitter on a Christmas scene
I listen as the organs swells
I hear the chime of silver bells
I hear the strain of carols sweet
I feel the warmth of friends I meet
Fragrance drifts upon the air
I smell and taste the Christmas fare
I hear the Christmas stories told
I feel the sting of winter's cold
I smell the candles, burning low
I sense the season all aglow
I feel the tingle in the night
I 'see' the star of heavenly light
And Christmas bursts upon my inner eye
Gloom and darkness pass me by
And once again I hear
