A north-east charity has received a £25,000 donation from an oil company.
North East Sensory Services (Ness), which helps blind and deaf people across the region, said the generous gift from Apache North Sea will go towards vital support services.
Among these are the provision of specialist equipment, projects to assist with the use of technology, transcription services and ensuring blind and deaf people can remain independent in their daily routines amid the ongoing pandemic.
Lynn Batham, Ness’s community fundraising co-ordinator, said the charity was “incredibly grateful”.
She said: “Donations like this can make a huge difference to the lives of thousands of blind and deaf people across the north-east.
“The pandemic has presented a number of new challenges, especially in relation to isolation and restrictions on activities which for many people were a lifeline.
“This money will allow us to work harder with our service users to ensure they can be supported through lockdown, and then helped to enjoy the future beyond that.
“We want to make sure anyone in the north-east with a sensory impairment is given all the support they need to live as independently as possible and participate normally in society and donations like this enable us to do exactly that.”
A previous donation of £40,000 by Apache to Ness was made in 2019.
It allowed the charity to support a kitchen refurbishment in its Aberdeen resource cafe.
Apache area operations manager Stuart Taylor said his company’s decision stemmed from a “commitment to create long-lasting value in [their] local community”.
He added: “Since our first donation in 2019, we have learnt about their invaluable work to transform the lives of people living with sensory loss.
“We are delighted that this donation will enable Ness to continue with the provision of its vital services to help people living with sensory loss overcome practical and emotional challenges and achieve independence.”
The second-oldest charity in Aberdeen
Ness supports around 6,500 people with sensory impairment and their families in Aberdeen, Aberdeensire, Angus, Dundee and Moray.
It was founded in 1879, making it the second-oldest charity in Aberdeen.
In 2010, it changed its name from Grampian Society for the Blind.
The charity’s objective is to build a society where people with sensory loss are able to fully participate and contribute to the same level as those without.