By Clare Franklin:

What a great JCI Reading board meeting last night. There was real positivity in the room, ideas being thrown around and lots of tasks being taken up that will all develop into a great few months of JCI Reading programme.

For me it was really good to have linked up with our newest member Lynda who has joined us from JCI Glasgow having moved here for work. The world is full of coincidences, one of the biggest being that having chosen Guide Dogs for the Blind as our charity for the year, Lynda recently contacted us prior to her move down from Scotland to Reading, in readiness to take up her new employment at.....yes you've guessed it...Guide Dogs for the Blind!!!!!

Obviously, Lynda as an employee of Guide Dogs for the Blind and I as the JCI Reading Charity Projects Director, share our interest of Guide Dogs for the Blind and wanting to raise awareness of the issues that come with blindness and impaired vision. Having shared my idea of a Blind Awareness Evening with the meeting and bouncing ideas around, Lynda and I agreed to work jointly on the idea, even carrying on our chat after the meeting whilst we waited for our bus and train home.

As a result we're hoping to hold the evening in early May, which will be open to non JCI members, as well as JCI Reading and other JCI members as all events are. The early plans are to invite representatives from Guide Dogs for the Blind to tell us of their work, the effects of blindness and how the Guide Dogs really help. Nothing is better than to actually experience something if you are truly to understand it, so we're going to be arranging for there to be all sorts of aids that are available for the visually impaired to assist them with daily tasks, such as making a cup of tea - tasks that can easily be taken for granted.  Ideas are building but interactive activities explaining how to guide a blind person will also be included we hope.

Keep an eye here as I'll blog as Lynda and I work together to complete our plans for the evening if you want to get involved and help feel free to email me clare.f@jcireading.co.uk

Clare