Swindon Bats

23/09/2025

This day 2 years ago Swindon Bats were lucky enough to be shortlisted from over 400 entries to win The BBC Wiltshire 'Make a Difference' Award.

Our award was so special to us because we won it in the 'Together' category, for our work bringing the Blind and Partially Sighted Community together and for trying to make a real difference in their lives.

We were so overwhelmed to have been chosen as the winners by the incredible Louise Hunt Skelley Ply and presented this beautiful award by Radio host Graham Rogers which was specially adapted with Braille by the BBC.

A day we'll never forget and one we are immensely proud of. 🦇💙

22/09/2025

A group of Bats enjoyed a day trip to the beautiful Westonbirt Arboretum today 🌳🌿🍂

Bats Committee member and Secretary Sue said this of her experience:

"The trip was very good, particularly as the tour guides were visually impaiared too. They knew exactly how to include VI people in what they were trying to show us and tell us about. Robyn (Guide Dog) particularly liked the tree that was lying down and decided to walk on it licking anyone's face that got in the way!"

The guided walk was lead by volunteer guides from Westonbirt including some Visually Impaired guides, which really made our members feel included and gave everyone a full and dynamic sensory experience!

A big thank you to Social Activities Coordinators Ali and Andrea Vigor for arranging this fantastic day out for our members and to the staff and Volunteers at The Forestry Commission - Westonbirt Arboretum for all there help and such a lovely day out.

And a final big thank you to Barnes Coaches for transporting our members and putting up with all the signing 😂😉

It's thanks to the kind donations and grants that we receive as a Charity that these opportunities can continue for our members 🦇🩷

17/09/2025

What a brilliant evening we had last night at our brand new Social Sports Club: 'The Bat Pack!'

This is a new monthly group running on the 3rd Tuesday of every month at Craven House that will feature fun activities such as Showdown, Seated Exercise, Accessible Board Games, Indoor Kurling and Skittles! A real opportunity for fun, laughter and accessible Sports.

Our first session saw us unveil our brand new Skittle Alley handcrafted by our every own Bats Member and Volunteer Ivan Rogers 💛

We all had a great time getting in a fun competitive spirit! But no one was a match for our Bats member and Blind Veteran, Danny who eventually took the crown of King of the Skittle Alley at the end of the night!🏆👑

But don't just take our word for it here's what Danny's wife Carol Gibbon had to say about the session:

"A fantastic evening yesterday. BATs have a new skittle alley made by one of our talented members. It took only 15 minutes to put together before our chairman, Becky, bowled the first wood. Danny hasn’t lost his bowling skills , although everyone needed new knees by the end of an energetic evening ! BATs is an amazing active group of blind members and their supporters and we are both so lucky to have found this group."

Thank you Carol for such a lovely write up and the fantastic action photos! We are so glad you and everyone who attended had such a great time!

Big thank you to our volunteers Uan and Derrick Holmes for running the Club and Ian Lewis and Mike for helping to stick up and pack away. And our special guests Craig and Sam from Swindon Conservative Club for popping in to see us in action, having a go and all your help packing and sticking up. 💛

We can't wait for next month's Bat Pack get together on Tuesday 21st of October!

💙🦇

17/09/2025

Just a little update on our fundraising total from The Bats Race Across the South West (on the Buses!) Challenge.

Becky and Uan managed to travel a total of: 274 Miles!
With 24 hours spent on the Buses, 8 Hours spent Walking and 5 Hours Spent on the Train (starting journey).

Becky and Uan have said:

"It was an amazing adventure and is definitely something that will stay with us both forever! It was absolutely worth every minute to raise awareness and money for such a brilliant cause! Thank you again for all your amazing donations and words of encouragement and love."

And the grand total raised is a massive: £1940!!

Everybody at the Bats would like to pass on their sincere thank you's to everyone who donated. It's going to make a huge difference and will help the club continue to grow and develop our offer to people already living with and those who are adapting to their various sight conditions.

A very special thank you to our fantastic Bats member and Volunteer Ian Lewis for his incredible donation of time and money through the workplace scheme Benevity of a whopping £500!! Your an absolute gent Mr Lewis and we can't thank you enough! Benevity allows companies to support their staff into volunteering and has been an incredible support to Swindon Bats. 💛

And another very special thank you to Cirencester Town Rugby Club Alumni "The Staggs" for their incredible donation of £500! Thank you all for supporting Becky and all her crazy ideas (since she was a toddler!) Ha ha 💙

We've also recently received another amazing anonymous donation of £500, and we would like to send a very big special thank you, to you for your incredible gift and kindness. 💛

Bats runs solely on donations and grants.

We try to make sure every week we have accessible activities on offer for as many Blind and Partially Sighted people as possible to make sure no one is left isolated and to help provide positive sporting activities to keep minds and bodies active. Without these incredible gifts we wouldn't be able to make that difference to so many people's lives.

Thank you!
🦇💙🦇

30/08/2025

Are they home yet!? 🏡🏁

Did they make it back within 5 days? Find out below in Becky and Uan's last leg of their Race Across The South West, on the Buses Challenge.

💙🦇💙

Raising money for Swindon Bats Sports and Social Charity. "Our sight is set on inclusion" supporting the local visually impaired community.

29/08/2025

Catch up on Becky and Uan's Race adventure in the link below:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/bats-on-the-buses

Where could they be today!?
Are they home earlier than planned?

Raising money for Swindon Bats Sports and Social Charity. "Our sight is set on inclusion" supporting the local visually impaired community.

28/08/2025

And that's Day 3 done for Becky and Uan on their Race Across the South West Challenge for Swindon Bats!

But the big question is, have they managed to get out of Cornwall yet? With only 2 days left to go can they make it home to Swindon in time!

You can follow today's update by clicking the link below:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/bats-on-the-buses

💙🦇💙

Raising money for Swindon Bats Sports and Social Charity. "Our sight is set on inclusion" supporting the local visually impaired community.

27/08/2025

You can catch up with Uan and Becky's challenge and what they've been up to on Day 2 by clicking the link below:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/bats-on-the-buses

Where on earth have they travelled to today? Are they even out of Cornwall yet!?

💙🦇💙

Raising money for Swindon Bats Sports and Social Charity. "Our sight is set on inclusion" supporting the local visually impaired community.

26/08/2025

Becky and Uan have reached their first destination on their Race across the South West.

But where could they have ended up?

You can read about their exciting journey by clicking the link below.
💙🦇🚌🐞🌊

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/bats-on-the-buses

25/08/2025

Bats Chairperson Becky Harrison and her husband fellow Bats member Uan are both very excited to be setting off on their Race Across the South West/Bus Adventure tomorrow morning!

Becky has reliably informed us that she absolutely did need to pack her miniature bucket and spade (much to Uan's disapproval!) 🪣🤣

Keep checking in with our social media as Becky and Uan will be posting updates on where and how far they've travelled over the next 5 days.

There's also still plenty of time to sponsor them. Any amount you can spare for such a brilliant cause is very welcome Swindon Bats👩‍🦯🚌🗺️

Just click the link below to donate:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/bats-on-the-buses?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwMZZ5hjbGNrAxlnkGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAAEeABmFyx62u3o4RqrnIwNAO5-vDoHIoEUDBm-Vt3PKVy6hX7AQhk_cPv60Xhw_aem_CnXHe9--eeNY_gGfnEsLjg

Best of luck Becky and Uan!
💙🦇💙

24/08/2025

Swindon Bats had a lovely day today "messing about in boats" on the beautiful Kennet and Avon canal. 🦆⛴️

They set off from Great Bedwyn and travelled through 4 locks, which gave our members a chance to operate the locks, whilst some chose to chill out on the boat and take in the experience.

The crew of Bruce Boats - Accessible Canal Holidays where very helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. Our members also had a lovely coach and driver from Barnes Coaches of Swindon.

A big thank you to Bats Member and Activities Coordinator Ali for organising a great day out!🦇💙

15/08/2025

An important message to those with lived experience of Sight Impairments in Swindon from Sight Support West of England:

We’re excited to let you know about our new monthly Swindon Community Hub and Social Group.

We’d love to see you there.
Details of the hub are as follows:

Launching on:
Thursday 18 September 2025
from 10am to 12.30pm.
Venue: Pilgrim Centre, Regent Circus, Swindon SN1 1PX
When: Third Thursday of every month, 10am – 12.30pm

Appointments: Available at 10.15am and 11.15am with your Sight Loss Advisor, please contact them direct to book.

Social group: 10am – 12.30pm – a chance to meet others in a friendly, relaxed setting
Friends and family are welcome too.

Upcoming dates for 2025:
18 September,
30 October,
20 November,
18 December

Our monthly hub is a chance to get personalised advice, try out useful equipment, and explore ways to stay independent and connected.

Your local Sight Loss Advisor can:
Help you understand your eye condition and the certification process
Suggest ways to manage at home or when out and about
Support you with reading and using everyday technology
Demonstrate gadgets, including electronic magnifiers
Talk through finances, employment and local social opportunities
Signpost you to other helpful services
Let you know about our magazine, e-newsletter and upcoming events.

To find out more, call Wiltshire Sight on 01380 723 682 or email info@wiltshiresight.org.

Claire Davenport
Community Sight Loss Advisor