Wakefield District Sight Aid

05/09/2026

We are beyond proud of our VI Vipers, their families, and our friends from A1 Football Factory for conquering the Yorkshire Three Peaks today!

We set off just after 5.30am with a group of over 20, including five of our young visually impaired footballers and lots of siblings. Every young person completed at least one peak, many of us completed two peaks, and a group of six absolute warriors (the youngest being only 13) completed all three!

The weather on Whernside in particular was not on our side, with poor visibility, sideways rain and strong winds. Several of us sustained injuries on the steep and rocky climb down which made it unwise to continue to Ingleborough, but we are all hugely proud of what we have achieved as a team. These young people prove time and time again that their disability is their superpower and today they really showed that they don't let anything stop them. They all climbed a mountain today, some of them more than one! We are in awe of them all.

So far we have raised over £2,700 with donations still coming in, so if you'd like to show your admiration for this incredible bunch then you can do so here: https://gofund.me/a846c7957

Again, hugest thanks to everyone who has supported our fundraising and special thanks to our support drivers today who were complete legends. ❤️❤️❤️

03/09/2026

We are almost at £2,300!!! Massive thanks to everyone for their support, this is amazing and will definitely keep us going on our epic walk!

The big day is THIS SATURDAY! Can you help my incredible VI Vipers reach £2.5K by then?

We are the VI Vipers. We are the only visually impaired youth fo… Hayley Grocock needs your support for Yorkshire Three Peaks for Wakefield District Sight Aid

01/09/2026

We are absolutely delighted to announce that our very own Catherine Brocklesby has been shortlisted for a Community Foundation Wakefield District Unsung Heroes Award!

Lots of you will know Catherine. She is an integral part of lots of our coffee mornings, runs our Wakefield evening social group at Calder & Hops, is an experienced sighted guide who supports at most of our social events and day trips, and is one of our volunteer telephone befrienders. Those of you who access the wonderful activities provided by Open Country Yorkshire will probably also have come across Catherine there, where she helps people with a range of disabilities to access the countryside.

Our CEO Hayley said, "Catherine is a vital part of our volunteer team and I honestly don't know what we would do without her. Catherine is always ready to roll her sleeves up and get stuck in with whatever needs doing, whether that's leading a group on a canal boat trip, providing one-to-one sighted guide support, making cups of tea at a coffee morning, stuffing envelopes at newsletter time, or being a listening ear for someone who might not have got out of the house that week. On a personal level, Catherine is a massive support to me in my role and is a much needed voice of wisdom if I'm facing a tricky situation or need some advice on an idea for a new activity. Catherine absolutely deserves this recognition and we would love for all our members and friends to vote for Catherine for the People's Choice Award 2026."

You can vote for Catherine via this link: https://wakefieldcf.org.uk/unsung-heroes/

Thank you so much for your support, and well done Catherine! You're already a winner in our eyes! 🥰

Across the Wakefield District, there are people quietly ‘getting on with things’. They are the ones who turn up early, stay late, check in on neighbours, organise the raffle, run the group, unlock the hall, make the calls, and never expect applause. They do it because someone has to. Our annual ...

01/09/2026

**Can you help? Have you benefited from the free pre-9:30am travel for disabled person’s travel pass holders in Wakefield since the scheme launched earlier this year?**

The digital team at WYCA is currently planning some social media content to help raise awareness of the scheme in Wakefield. As part of this, they're keen to speak with pass holders who have benefited from the changes, particularly those who have used the scheme to access work, education, volunteering opportunities, or other important activities.

We’d love to help them to capture some real-life stories about the difference the scheme has made. This would involve meeting with participants at a local bus station, bus stop, or another location convenient to them, and filming a short interview. The questions would focus on their experiences, how they use the bus network, and the impact the trial has had on their daily lives.

The filming session would be very informal and would last no more than 45 minutes. It would be fantastic if we could speak to a few people and help share their experiences with a wider audience.

If you are interested in participating, please call the office on 01924 215555 and ask to speak to Hayley, or email Hayley on [email protected].

Thanks so much!

01/09/2026

We are the VI Vipers. We are the only visually impaired youth football team in West Yorkshire. Together, we are smashing barriers and proving that our disability is our superpower!

With that in mind, in just five days' time, we are taking part in the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge, together with our parents, our amazing coaches Ryan and Dean from A1 Football Factory, and Hayley from Wakefield District Sight Aid, to raise money to support our team and activities for blind and partially sighted children and young people.

Any donation will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to us. Our fundraising is currently standing at an amazing £2,106! Can you help us hit £2,200 before Saturday? Thank you so much for your support!

We are the VI Vipers. We are the only visually impaired youth fo… Hayley Grocock needs your support for Yorkshire Three Peaks for Wakefield District Sight Aid

30/08/2026

The VI Vipers, West Yorkshire’s only visually impaired youth football team, are making incredible progress both on and off the field. They’ve gone from barely kicking a ball to showing leadership and teamwork that’s truly inspiring. On September 5th, 2026, they’re taking on the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge to raise funds for activities supporting blind and partially sighted children and young people.

Thanks to the partnership between us and our amazing friends at A1 Football Factory, this team has grown in confidence and skills, and your support can help keep that momentum going. Every donation makes a difference in helping WDSA provide vital services and opportunities for young people with sight loss.

We've almost hit the magic number of £2K raised! Please consider sharing or donating to help these young athletes and their community. Even a quick share can help reach someone who might be able to support this cause! 🙌🏽👟

We are the VI Vipers. We are the only visually impaired youth fo… Hayley Grocock needs your support for Yorkshire Three Peaks for Wakefield District Sight Aid

20/08/2026

A big thank you to our very own Pam Walters, who also volunteers for Wakefield District Badger Group and treated us to a wonderful talk about the conservation work of the badger group at our Cuppa & Connect group yesterday. She also read us the story of The Badgers of Walton Hall, a beautiful book that's been produced to coincide with the bicentenary of Charles Waterton's wall.

Our members loved hearing about the badgers and listening to the story, as well as meeting a stuffed badger cub! Thanks so much, Pam!

20/08/2026

Our Art Beyond Vision group was delighted to be part of the engagement process for the development of this new exhibition at Wakefield Museum, and our very own Ruth Fones Art has created some amazing tactile resources to complement the exhibition!

This is what great accessibility looks like!

19/08/2026

On Saturday 5th September, a very special group of young people and their parents, along with their football coaches and our CEO Hayley, will take on the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge to raise funds towards our work with children and young people.

We have been blown away by people's support and generosity so far, and would love to reach £2K before the big day. Please can you share and help us reach this incredible milestone?

Thank you so much to everyone who has already donated. We are so grateful.

We are the VI Vipers. We are the only visually impaired youth fo… Hayley Grocock needs your support for Yorkshire Three Peaks for Wakefield District Sight Aid

16/08/2026

We'd like to say a huge congratulations to the Yorkshire VICC for finishing the season as National League 2 Champions! Fantastic work! 🏏

National League 2 Champions 2026