Mayor Peter Rush and Rochdale Lions support World Sight Day

Eileen Taylor, Mayor Peter Rush, Jean Royle, Keith Taylor and Vera Smith

Members of Rochdale Lions were raising awareness of World Sight Day today (Saturday 12 October) with a little help from Mayor Peter Rush.

Mayor Rush was escorted blindfolded from Rochdale Town Hall to the group's stand in Rochdale Exchange Shopping Centre so he could experience what it was like to have no sight.

He said: “It was a frightening world that I don’t want to be a part of. I had to use my senses and feel to understand where I was. It was certainly an experience.

"These people need recognition and for people to understand what they go through.”

The stand gave people the chance to also experience life with no sight. People could try on a series of glasses giving
them variations of sight and could also play a game where they had to identify different objects, also blindfolded.

Jean Royle, secretary of Rochdale Lions, said: “It is about making people aware of sight problems that people have and raising the awareness of world sight day.”

Rochdale Lions supports World Sight Day every year and always get the current Mayor involved.

Eileen Taylor, who escorted Mayor Rush on his walk, said: “He did really well and was asking questions all they way.”

President of Rochdale Lions, Vera Smith, added: “It can be hard to lose your sight and it can affect they way you taste things and feel things, and that can be hard for people to understand.”

Rochdale Lions is a community service organisation dedicated to the idea that the men and women who live in a community are in the best position to know whoneeds help and why.

Jean added: “All the money we raise from the community goes straight back into the community.”

Rochdale Lions meets every first and third Thursday of the month at Woolworth's Sports & Social Club, Royle Cottage, Gipsy Lane and all are welcome to attend.