Cambridgeshire East Guides present the cheque that results from a year long county wide fundraising effort.

On Wednesday 5 December at a meeting of Cherry Hinton Brownies, Girlguiding Cambridgeshire East presented a cheque for £4734.67 to Forgotten Children International and collections of stamps, coins and treasures to Guide Dogs for the Blind and spectacles to Vision Aid Overseas. Emmie Shephard aged 9, from 40th Cambridge Brownies presented the cheque. She had raised £138.50 on her own by completing a triathlon. She swam 10 lengths of a local swimming pool, cycled 10 miles and ran for 20 minutes.

In December 2006, County Commissioner, Ann Mitchell and Community Action Adviser, Janet Baker launched a service project to raise awareness and funds for visual impairment charities at home and aboard. The project called Can Eye Help?, involved three areas.

1. To raise money for the charity Forgotten Children International (FCI). Based in Oakington, the charity helps children in third world countries who suffer from visual impairment. Just £84 can pay for a cataract operation for a child, or for 90pence vitamin A can be provided to prevent blindness. 
2. Collect spectacles for Vision Aid Overseas or stamps, keys, coins and jewellery for Guide Dogs for the Blind. 
3. Explore the problems people with visual impairment face in day to day life.

All sorts of activities were done to raise money. 2nd Bottisham Rainbows enjoyed a sponsored bounce on a bouncy castle whilst Guides from all over the county were sponsored to sleep in a box overnight at a county event. David Stevens from FCI visited units to tell them about the work the charity does and puppy walkers went along to sessions to talk about Guide Dogs for the Blind.

David Stevens joined representatives from Guide Dogs for the Blind and Vision Aid Overseas for the presentation by Girlguiding Cambridgeshire East. David said ‘It has been quite a year. I have really enjoyed visiting units across the county. You have raised enough money to perform operations which will give sight to 60 children. Well done’.