New role for leading sight impairment charity boss

THE MAN AT the helm of a charity that has made massive strides in promoting the needs of blind, deaf and partially sighted people in Moray has been recruited to a new national role.

As chief executive of North East Sensory Services (NESS), Graham Findlay has been at the helm of a charity whose offices in Elgin, Aberdeen and Dundee offering help to over 6000 clients in Moray and throughout the north east.

Now he has been appointed as chairman of Visionary, a membership organisation for independent charities who support blind and partially sighted people across the UK.

Visionary acts as a collective voice for local organisations, providing practical services for people with sight loss, and promoting joint working, sharing and learning amongst members, as well as representing members on a national stage.

Mr Findlay said: “I am delighted to be entrusted with the role of chair of Visionary. We have been able to appoint a skilled team of staff who will help our members develop and, therefore, support our service users across the country.

“I am indebted to outgoing chair Phil Longworth who has done an amazing job of moving the organisation forward and delighted he will still be around to continue to offer support to me and the rest of the board.”

Departing chair Phil Longworth said: “I am delighted to pass the custodian role as chair of Visionary to Graham.

“He has been a phenomenal support and influencer as vice-chair over the past few years and I am sure will bring clear leadership to Visionary as it enters the next phase of its development and growth, supporting local sight loss organisations to provide a range of services for and with blind and partially sighted people across the UK.”