+++Welcome to Let’s Vitalise

It seems we are all tightening our belts and trying to make our budgets stretch that little bit further this year. That's why in this edition of Let's Vitalise we’d like to tell our valued guests about some of the things we are doing to make your breaks with us more affordable, as well as point you to some other helpful sources of advice about funding. See page five for details.

Over the winter we’ve been very busy sprucing up our Centres and devising our programme of activities and Experience Breaks in readiness for an exciting year. For those of you who are planning a Vitalise break this year, we have a taster of some the Experience Breaks on offer around our Centres on page 16.

Elsewhere in this issue we meet a young woman who travelled all the way from Kazakhstan to pursue her dream career in London and found her home from home thanks to Vitalise; we celebrate the 25th anniversary of one of our veteran volunteers and tell the romantic story of how volunteer Susan met guest Simon - and love blossomed!

Colin Brook, Editor


++Contents at a Glance

Vital news, page 3
Your Voice, page 10
Volunteer News, page 12
Fundraising Focus, page 14
Vital News, page 16
Regional Roundup, page 17
Vitalise Holidays, page 22
Vitalise Events and Diary Dates, page 24


++Useful information

Let’s Vitalise is published by the Communications Department at Vitalise:
12 City Forum
250 City Road
London EC1V 8AF
Tel: 0845 345 1972
Fax: 0845 345 1978
info@vitalise.org.uk
www.vitalise.org.uk

The opinions expressed in Let’s Vitalise are not necessarily those of Vitalise, but of individual contributors.

© Vitalise 2009. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the permission of Vitalise.

Vitalise is a national charity providing essential services for disabled people, visually impaired people, and carers. Vitalise provides short breaks for disabled people and carers at accessible UK Centres.

Vitalise also organises holidays in the UK and overseas for visually impaired people, accompanied by sighted guides. Long-stay residential places are available at one of Vitalise’s Centres. Vitalise also provides day services at two of its Centres and home care services in the London area.

Registered charity number 295072