Your moment

changes lives

You’re amazing!

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Welcome aboard – you’re now officially part of a group of amazing runners, riders, bakers, trekkers, quizzers and all round fundraising superstars!

Team Sense

Today, you became a member of Team Sense, a group of incredible people who want to make sure that no one is left out or left behind. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to make someone else’s day better.

In this pack, you will hear from some of the people whose lives have been changed by supporters just like you – as well as other members of Team Sense. We will also show you how your fundraising makes a difference every single day and give you some top tips to help you get started.

At Sense, we believe that no one, no matter how complex their disabilities should be left out, isolated or unable to fulfil their potential.

So whether you are lacing up your trainers, getting the office baking or putting on a gig, you are a hero to us and the thousands of people that we support every week.

Throw on your cape and start wearing your pants over your trousers, knowing that you are improving the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in the UK.

The difference you make

Close your eyes for a minute. Think about all of the people that you have spoken to today. Maybe you called your mum for a catch-up or ordered your coffee on the way to work. Perhaps you had to ask for directions or booked a pitch for five-a-side next week. Now imagine that you couldn’t communicate with those people using speech, see what road they were pointing to or hear them shout when your drink was ready. This is an everyday experience for the thousands of people that Sense supports. At Sense, we know that with the right support, it is possible for every person to make sense of their world and the world around them. Our nationwide

team of specialists, support workers, advisors, interpreters and volunteers help people to communicate and express themselves – be it through speech or sign, touch or movement, gesture or sound, art or dance. Thanks to supporters just like you, Sense is able to enrich the lives of people who are deafblind or have other complex disabilities, opening up their worlds and helping them to realise their potential. Without your support, we wouldn’t be able to connect with people through art, bring sport to more people with complex disabilities, provide holidays and short breaks or support children and their families to find new ways to communicate.

For everyone who is deafblind. For everyone who has complex disabilities. Sense is here to help people communicate and experience the world.

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Last year, Sense supported more than

people to live their lives to the full.

“I had started running again and having completed a couple of 10k races, I decided it was time to go for the big one.

I think it is easy to take for granted our sight, hearing and other senses, and I can’t for one minute begin to imagine what life would be like without one, or more of them. So to find a charity that, in my opinion, works wonders to ensure those that do have severe sensory impairment are presented with every opportunity to express themselves, to communicate with the world and to feel valued, was a charity I was immediately ready to support.”

Throughout his journey, Shaun was amazed at the support he received. “It’s quite a tough thing to do, asking people for money, but I was astounded by the generosity of those I approached.”

Lining up at the start, Shaun knew that this was going to be a tough challenge but couldn’t have foreseen quite how tough. It was not only the hottest London Marathon on record, but Shaun also suffered an injury just over the half way mark. But he carried on regardless – and would still recommend running for Team Sense!

Tough momentsEve has had hearing problems since she was a little girl, but has always made the best of things.

Eve battles back

Without Sense, I don’t think I’d be here. I know that sounds silly, but I don’t think I would have got through it the way I did without this help.”

Ready for his next challenge, Shaun took on the London Marathon for Sense in 2018.

She worked, married, had a family and loved to get out and about. But when she had a stroke five years ago, which also left her blind in one eye and with a left-sided weakness, she was poleaxed.

“I lost my confidence, everything went,” she says. “It turned my life from doing things to nothing. For about a year, I don’t think I left here. It gives you an awful lonely feeling.”

It was at this dark time in her life that she started to receive support from two Sense Communicator Guides, Tina and Angela, who visit her on different days each week.

At first Eve was very reluctant and didn’t want to go out. So Tina and Angela built up her confidence gradually, supporting her to take small steps – like walking downstairs, then getting into a car, then going out for a trip into town.

Five years on and Eve’s quality of life has improved enormously. When Tina arrives now, Eve is waiting downstairs with her

wheelchair, bag over her arm, saying “Come on, where are we going?”

As Eve’s confidence has grown her life has opened out again: she’s signed herself up to a local club

for people who are blind, has been on Sense Holidays and

goes to a tea club run by Sense.Living with poor sight and hearing will always be challenging for Eve – as it is for any older person – but

she has got her old self back.

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Team Sense was a great support network, amazing team and a superb and worthy charity. The Sense cheering points around the course were by far the best and such a great boost…especially as I hobbled round after breaking my foot on mile 14!”

Shaun battles on

Family moments

But the friendly warmth amongst the families and Sense staff who have gathered for the Sense Family Day, helps her to relax. It is very challenging for Megan to express herself, and she could easily become quite isolated, so Sense has supported her family to help her communicate. Before going sailing, Laura from our Sense Specialist Services for Children and Young People takes Megan’s hands and they have a to-and-fro conversation with hands and voice. Laura says “Megan” whilst taking her hands and

placing them on Megan’s chest – Megan nods and pushes her hands back to Laura.“Megan loves being around people and coming to these family events,” said Megan’s mum. “Everyone’s lovely, helpful and supportive, you just feel easier here.”Getting into the boat is a little alarming for Megan to begin with, but dad Richard and sister Ellie help her to get comfortable in her life jacket. The wind fills the sails, the boat starts to glide forward, and Megan breaks out in a broad smile. She’s off!

At first Megan seems nervous when she and her family arrive at the sailing lake. She has poor sight and just a little hearing so is easily startled by unfamiliar situations and noises.

“I have always wanted to take on a challenge that took me beyond what I thought I was capable of achieving,” says Sarah. So she took a deep breath and decide to run the Liverpool Rock’n’Roll Marathon to raise money for Sense – clocking up an incredible 330 miles throughout her training.

“When I first started talking about running a marathon, a few people asked me which charity I would be running for. It wasn’t a hard choice - my brother Wilf is my inspiration. Wilf is deaf and blind in one eye leading to an impairment of stereopsis and this has meant that life has thrown up lots of new challenges, but he has always overcome them. “When Sense started working with Wilf in September 2015 his world had become very restricted and he spent much of his time just sitting and watching tv.Sense has enabled him to continue to have

a social life with his friends from school, to go out and experience more of the world around him. And he feels confident knowing that he has the support of trained intervenors if he has difficulties in being understood or finds a situation stressful.

“I knew I had to finish because I couldn’t let everyone down”, says Sarah, looking back on her marathon experience. “But wow, I did it. And I sprinted over that line with a smile on my face.”

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Sarah’s smile

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could help pay for a family like Megan’s to share precious moments together on a Sense Family Day.

The wind in Megan’s sails

“I was so confused, scared and didn’t know what was going to happen,” she says. “I thought that I would have to change my career path, drop out of university and completely

change my lifestyle. It is charities like Sense that made me

realise that I could still succeed, be myself and achieve anything – with or without my sight.”

Teri, along with her sister, organised a festival called Music on the Moor – and they managed to recruit 18 bands and artists who were happy to perform for free. “We chose to do this event as both myself and my sister love music,” she says. “We have several connections within the Stoke music scene and it was something that the village hadn’t seen before. Music on the Moor was something that we’re very passionate about, which is the main reason that the event was a success.”

Proud momentsOn the day Luca was born, he was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called CHARGE that affects his ability to see, hear and balance. “We were terrified that Luca wouldn’t be able to communicate, or enjoy things that other children do,” say his parents, Faye and Ben. Luckily, Anne, a Sense Children and Family Support Worker, was in the hospital that day and able to reassure Faye and Ben that Sense would be there for them.

Luca is four now and it’s been a hard road for the whole family. But Sense has been there every step of the way to help Luca to connect with the world. When he came out of hospital after eight months, Luca didn’t like using his hands much because he’d had so many injections in his little fingers. But Anne gradually introduced different objects and materials to him, picking up on every little gesture or noise he made, and understanding

what he was trying to get across. Now he can’t get enough of activities like messy play!

Learning signs has been crucial. It’s helped Luca and his family to communicate at a level Faye and Ben thought might not be possible. Now Luca loves nothing more than to sign and sing along to his favourite songs.

“I’m so proud that my little boy has learnt so many signs, so quickly,” said Luca’s mum. “When I look back to how I felt when he was diagnosed on the very day he was born, I can hardly believe how much he’s achieved – and that’s all thanks to Sense and you.”

Luca’s fingers do the talking

Teri was inspired to fundraise for Sense after she lost her sight for one terrifying week.

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Teri teams up

By raising £100, you could give a Sense specialist like Anne crucial time with children like Luca – time to teach them to communicate and enjoy activities like signing and messy play.

100 I would 100% recommend both fundraising and joining Team Sense! The work that Sense does is incredible and even the smallest amount of money can help to make a difference to someone’s life.”

A moment to plan

No matter how big or small your fundraising target, it can be difficult to figure out where to start. But have no fear! We have put together some of the top tips that your fellow Team Sense heroes have shared with us on how to get going.

It goes without saying that you are going to enjoy doing something that you already like much more than something that you don’t. People will feed off your enthusiasm and this will make it even more successful. Maybe knitting is your bag…how about a sponsored knit-a-thon? Perhaps you are a football fanatic…start your own sweepstake in your office.

Do something you love!

It might seem obvious but you need to shout about what you are doing. You have become a fundraising superstar and everyone needs to know about it! Tell your friends, family, your local paper, your work colleagues, the neighbour’s cat, your best friend’s second cousin…you get the idea.

Shout about it!

Go onlineCollecting money used to be a right pain with all those forms and having to chase people around the office to get their precious promised pounds. However, times have changed and now JustGiving and Virgin Money Giving are the way to go . Simply set up your fundraising page, add your own story, pictures and target, share on social media and watch the pennies roll in!

45%Well, not quite but almost! A lot of companies now run matched giving schemes where they will top up your total if you raise a certain amount. Check with your HR team if you aren’t sure whether your work runs a scheme like this.

Did you know that, on average, people who add a target to their JustGiving page raise 45% more?

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Free money

If you, or someone you know, need the information in this pack in a different format, get in touch with our lovely Sense Supporter Services team:Email: supporterservices@sense.org.uk Tel: 0300 330 9257 Textphone: 0300 330 9252

Sense101 Pentonville RoadLondonN1 9LG

www.sense.org.uk

Registered charity number: 289868

The Community and Events team at Sense are here to make sure that you feel supported and confident – like the fundraising hero you are. Without your incredible fundraising efforts we simply wouldn’t be able to be there for the thousands of people that need us every day.So no matter the question, no matter how big or small the request, we want to hear from you.As a member of Team Sense you have also joined a group of amazing runners, riders, bakers, trekkers, quizzers and all round fundraising superstars. So share on social media using #TeamSense, follow us on Facebook and join our groups. Get in touch with us via the contact details on the left for anything that you might need.

EmailCommunity.Team@sense.org.uk EventsTeam@sense.org.uk

Facebook/Sense Events Team/Team Sense Fundraising Heroes

Twitter@SenseEventsTeam

We’re your biggest cheerleaders!