House of Lords Dinner for SeeAbility

Lord Coe hosts a dinner at the house of Lords in aid of SeeAbility

Lord Coe took a break from his Olympiad duties on January 31st and hosted a fundraising dinner at the House of Lords for Epsom-based SeeAbility, formerly known as The Royal School for the Blind.  As Vice President of SeeAbility for 10 years, Lord Coe has been an active supporter of the charity.

The event raised over £45,000 on the evening through donations and an auction of prestigious gifts hosted by Bonhams Auction House.  The money will go towards completing SeeAbility's eye 2 eye Campaign £2m target. 

The eye 2 eye Campaign is a groundbreaking project which is transforming the availability and quality of eye care for 1.5m people with a learning disability in the UK.  People with a learning disability are four times as likely to have a visual impairment than the rest of the population but this often goes undetected and untreated simply because of their disability.  A specialised eye test is often all that is required to save sight and enhance quality of life.  SeeAbility are currently improving eye healthcare for people with a learning disability throughout the UK working together with eye care professionals through community based projects and a national information service.

"We are delighted Lord Coe was able to take time out of his busy schedule to help SeeAbility," said Jayne McGann, Fundraising and Marketing Director of SeeAbility, "This is going to give our eye 2 eye Campaign a significant boost so that we are able to help more people with a learning disability access appropriate sight tests and help preserve their sight and quality of life."
SeeAbility are committed to improving eye healthcare for people with a learning disability and more information can be found at www.lookupinfo.org or on 0800 121 8900