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Volunteer work at Wick charity earns reward


By Marcus Brogden

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A volunteer from Wick has been presented with an award for his hard work and dedication to the Caithness Macular Support Group.

Eric Farquhar received a certificate from leading sight loss charity the Macular Society as a thank you for his efforts.

The 80-year-old joined forces with the charity to launch the group in 2015 after being diagnosed with macular disease and has been leading it ever since.

Eric Farquhar (left) receives his award from Macular Society regional manager John Furze (right).
Eric Farquhar (left) receives his award from Macular Society regional manager John Furze (right).

“When I was diagnosed, I contacted the society to find out what kind of help and support was available," he says.

"They suggested I join a support group, but unfortunately the nearest groups to me were in Inverness and Kirkwall, which were too far away. Then they asked if I would be interested in starting my own group locally, so that’s what I did.

“We’re predominantly a social group and we try to get out and do as many different activities as we can. We’re even going to be trying our hands at some visually-impaired shooting at a local club in the near future, which everyone is really looking forward to."

The group meets on the third Thursday of each month, from 11am-1pm at the Pulteney Centre in Huddart Street, Wick.

It is one of more than 400 groups of its kind in the UK, offering vital information, encouragement and friendship to people who are affected by macular disease.

Macular disease is the biggest cause of blindness in the UK. Nearly 1.5 million people are currently affected and many more are at risk. The disease can have a devastating effect on people’s lives, leaving them unable to drive, read or see faces. Many people affected describe losing their sight as being similar to bereavement. There is still no cure and most types of the disease are not treatable. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common form of macular disease, affecting more than 600,000 people, usually over the age of 50.

Eric says he sometimes asks himself: “I’m 80 – should I still be doing this?"

"But I do really enjoy it; everyone is really friendly and we often have up to 30 people coming along to meetings. I get lots of support from all our members, especially James, our vice-chair, Della, our secretary, and Nettie, our treasurer, who are a tremendous help in running the group.”

John Furze, Macular Society regional manager, said: “It’s our aim to end macular disease and we’re investing heavily in research to find a cure as a matter of urgency. In addition, we continue to provide a wide range of support services to people with macular disease who need our help.

“But we can’t do that without the commitment of volunteers like Eric. He makes a huge difference to the lives of people living locally who are affected by macular disease. We’re so grateful to Eric for everything he does and it’s only right that his efforts should be recognised.”

For more information on the group, please contact John Furze, Macular Society regional manager, on 01463 214 190 / 07711 133 733 or email john.furze@macularsociety.org


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