3 July 2026
Vision Support Barrow & District Celebrates Official Opening of Refurbished Centre
Fiona Hall and Claire Paling from Team Barrow Work and Health Fund with Peer Mentor Matty Lamb, CEO Craig Renton and Service Manager Claire Huddleston
Vision Support Barrow & District proudly celebrated the official opening of its newly refurbished centre following a substantial transformation. Volunteers, clients, supporters, valued collaborators and funders joined us to mark the occasion and see the impressive improvements firsthand.
A special thank you goes to Claire Paling and Fiona Hall from Team Barrow Work and Health Fund, whose continued support has played an important role in helping Vision Support Barrow & District enhance the centre and the services it provides to the local community.
The feedback from everyone who attended was overwhelmingly positive. In particular, many clients commented on the carefully chosen colour contrasts throughout the centre, which have been designed to help people with visual impairments navigate the space more easily while creating a bright, welcoming environment.
While the centre continues to operate as a shop where visitors can purchase visual aids, receive technical support and speak with our knowledgeable staff, it has evolved into so much more. The refurbishment has created a warm and inviting social hub where clients can drop in for a coffee, meet with friends, attend groups, speak to support officers or make use of the technical suite.
We are also delighted to announce that, from Saturday 4th July, the centre will be open every Saturday morning, providing even more opportunities for people to access our services, enjoy the facilities and connect with others.
The official opening highlighted just how much the refurbishment has enhanced the space. Everyone remarked on the remarkable transformation and expressed their excitement about making full use of the centre in the months and years ahead. We look forward to welcoming both familiar and new faces to enjoy everything our refreshed centre has to offer.
Thank you to everyone who attended the launch and to all our volunteers, supporters, partners and collaborators for their ongoing commitment to helping people living with sight loss across Barrow and the surrounding district.
