Taylor Wimpey South Thames has made a charitable donation to Brighton VIPS – a charity group for people who are partially sighted or blind.

The leading local housebuilder –currently building high-quality homes at its Shoreham Crescent development in Shoreham-by-Sea – donated £250 to the charity that will be put towards buying equipment for the members.

The group meets once a month to discuss their impairments and day-to-day living, aiming to help reduce loneliness and social isolation, while helping participants maintain independence.

Gordon Divall, Chairman for Brighton VIPs, said: “We have a group of 17 members who vary in age and all have varying levels of sight impairments.

“We keep each other going by talking about our ailments. It helps prevent people from feeling lonely or isolated as it gets them out the house. We often go out for pub lunches and river walks.

“It can be difficult for them to get out and about due to their visual impairments so we try to do fun days where we display blind art and have a tea party, which helps us raise funds for the charity too.”

On Christmas Eve 2009, Gordon woke up to find that he was completely blind. Since then his sight has started to come back but he still remains visually impaired.

Gordon said: “I was put in touch with ESAB (East Sussex Association of Blind and Partially Sighted), who made a big difference. They helped me find contacts for people who could help me in my day-to-day living. From ESAB we formed the group Brighton VIPS, to support people locally in similar circumstances to me.

“The group has been a real support for me and helped me come to terms with my impairment.

“It makes a huge difference having the support from a company like Taylor Wimpey, as the money helps us to buy vital equipment to make our quality of life better. For example, a new cane costs £49.”

Susan Joseph, Sales and Marketing Director for Taylor Wimpey South Thames, said: “As a local housebuilder, we are committed to supporting the communities in which we build our homes, and showing our support for Brighton VIP’s is a great example of the way we can help.”

Daniel Brookbank, CEO of East Sussex Association of Blind and Partially Sighted People, said: “Thank you so much to Taylor Wimpey South Thames for their generous donation to the Brighton VIPs. The group is an active organisation that works hard to assist our members live a more independent life and we are always very grateful for financial support to keep the group going.”

To find out more about the homes currently available to reserve at Shoreham Crescent, visit the Sales Information Centre, located off Upper Shoreham Road, Shoreham-by-Sea, BN43 6TQ, and open daily from 10am to 5pm, or call the Sales Executive on 01273 894375.

For information on Taylor Wimpey developments across the region, visit www.taylorwimpey.co.uk