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Photo Gallery

Below are photos taken at events we've attended to enhance our training and also ones taken during our training sessions with accompanying feedback quotes.

2020


As you can imagine, most of our training sessions are currently on hold due to COVID restrictions but we are still able to provide online or telephone consultancy services and are happy to discuss individual training needs with you . Please contact us  for further information.

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​“More than met my expectations, personal experiences from both trainers extremely good. First hand experiences from Dave was really helpful too.”

2019


Photo shows some seated training participants with one of them just getting up
Photo of a man sitting at a table with a selection of mega blocks in front of him. The man is wearing a blindfold. A woman is standing on the other side of the table facing him. She is looking at the megablocks.
Photo of training participants during a practical exercise with Dave and Vicky
"I thoroughly enjoyed the training :-). Thank you Dave and Vicky"

Photo of training participants writing
Photo of training particpants getting ready to begin Sighted Guide practice
"Really good combination of Dave and Vicky, lots of experience as guider and guided. Easy to talk to. Made the training really interesting and enjoyable. A big Thank you! :-)"

Photo of 2 training participants. 1 is wearing a blindfold and seated at a table constructing megablocks. The other is standing at the table in front of her, describing the mega blocks to her.
Photo of evaluation forms
Photo shows 2 people walking together. 1 who is blindfolded is holding the arm of the other person who is not blindfolded. They appear to be talking.
Photo of a training participant sight guiding Dave
Photo of Vicky Sight Guiding a training participant
"I thought Vicky and Dave were an amazing double act and clearly have a great rapport. The training was interesting and interactive and I would recommend it to anyone"

Photo of 3 training participants sat in a small group. One is writing some notes. One is laughing.
Photo shows a group of training participants sat in a horseshoe listening. They are in a room with lots of paintings on one wall.
“Vicky and Dave had a very relaxed and informal approach to quite a technical subject which made it easy to take in the main points.”
“Dave and Vicky had an excellent presentation style and they were happy to answer our questions! Thank you!"

Photo shows some training participants and also 2 BSL interpreters
Photo of 2 training participants practising Sight Guiding
Photo of an valuation form showing the words in the text below
"What wonderful trainers, I feel I gained a wealth of knowledge and a greater understanding of visual impairments/blind. Vicky and Dave's training style was relaxed, fun and very informative, it really appealed to my learning style (as I am dyslexic).
Dave and Vicky's first hand experience was so valuable and made the training honest, sincere and practical.
I really enjoyed myself and would be interested in having further training!
Thank you 🙂"

2018

Photo of the Christmas grotto at the Chantry Centre
Photo of Dave demonstrating using a long cane (white stick)
Photo of 2 people participating in the MegaBlocks mayhem exercise, 1 is standing in front of a table the other is seated and blindfolded. On the table between them is an array of colourful mega blocks
“Both Vicky and Dave provided an excellent training course for the centre staff. Thank you and we look forward to training with you again”

Photo of a participant building a structure with mega blocks
Photo of Particpants on our Vision Impairment Awareness Course
Photo of participants practising Sighted Guide technique
Photo of participants practising SIghted Guide Techniques
“Everything was in depth, always asked if you have any questions about the topic”
 “Really good day, relaxed and informal but very informative, thank you”

A compilation of photos from the day showing the Chantry Centre entrance, our equipment display and feedback forms as well as the VIDA training logo
"I found the training very informative and enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere. I found the part on communication useful. Definitely more aware and informed.”

A photo of Vicky and her friend Kath, taking part in this year's Run in the Dark
Vicky and her friend Kath, taking part in this year’s Run in the Dark - an annual event held all around the world (we were in Battersea Park, London) - in aid of the Mark Pollock Trust - helping to fast track a cure for paralysis. Mark himself is blind and has a spinal injury.

A photo of Dave and Vicky at this year's Sight Village South East
Dave and Vicky attending this year's Sight Village South East

Photo is of participants and BSL interpreters
Photo is of two people practising Sighted Guide
Photo is of our booklets, flyers and reading books
Photo is of the Sight for Surrey welcome board outside their offices
"Fantastic chemistry between the two trainers. Not dry deliverance at all, kept their audience engaged, informed and involved as they rolled out the day"​

These days "work thanks to the efforts and fantastic presentations by people like yourselves.  A BIG THANK YOU to you all for all your input at today’s meetings!!"

Photo of participants during the training course
Photo of participants during the training course
"Thank you again very much for kindly giving a teaching session to the medical retina service.
​​It was lovely to meet you. The session was enlightening and very useful. It is great for us to increase our awareness of how we can better help our patients. We really appreciate it."

Photo of feedback forms showing the following statements:
​"Definitely could have had a full day! 
​Lots of interesting and relevant conversations and discussion.
​Fantastic trainers - inspirational people!
​Will follow the blog!"

2017

Photo compilation showing Dave and Vicky wearing their run in the dark tech tops at the start; runners going past with their flashing armbands; Vicky and Dave at the finishing sign; and in the Run in the Dark London photo frame. Also in the picture is the VIDA Training logo and the Run in the Dark one.
This year we took part in 'Run in the Dark' an annual event held all around the world (we were in Battersea Park, London) - in aid of the Mark Pollock Trust - helping to fast track a cure for paralysis. We decided to walk the 5k as sight guiding and running in the dark might not have been a good mix, but we still raised £200. Our half way live video (https://www.facebook.com/VIDAtrainingUK/videos/1423855351075358/) may not be the best filming ever – but we did our best whilst walking, sight guiding, keeping out of the way of overlapping runners and videoing all in the dark!! A great evening!

Photo of Dave and Vicky arriving at Sight Village London - photo taken beside the Sight Village banner
Photo of Sight Village Exhibition Hall showing several stands
Photo of Sight Village Exhibition Hall showing the Orcan stand in the foreground
We attended Sight Village again this year at Kensington Town Hall, braving the train strikes on the day. It's always interesting to find out about any new developments and we chatted for some time to Simon from British Wireless for the Blind Fund about the Bumble Bee and Arjun from iMerciv Inc. about the buzz-clip. We also spoke to Andrew from Traveleyes – a great holiday company that enables blind and sighted travellers to ‘share the adventure’ in some amazing holiday venues, Ian from Metro Blind Sports who, small world that it is, has a child that attends the same junior school as Dave's and caught up with some people from RP Fighting Blindness who we had met in June at their conference. We chatted to The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association about their My Guide service and VocalEyes - describing the arts about their audio-description and touch tours for theatre productions.As always there was lots of technical equipment demonstrated by different companies and we chatted to people from HumanWare, Optima Low Vision Services, Lifemax Ltd, VisionAid , Optelec and A.C.T. Excel. Dave also had a demonstration of the OrCam MyEye.
Always good to keep up to date with services and technologies that are out there or coming to the market soon.

Photo of the posters in the 'Hall of Fame'
Vicky attended the We Are Surrey event - aiming to connect businesses with their local communities to make Surrey a better place to live and work. Our poster, outlining what we do, was part of the Hall of Fame line up and it was good to talk to a variety of people there including those from Live at Home, Police Cadets, Wates, Kier and Healthwatch about their organisations and activities as well as chat about what we do as VIDA Training.

Photo of preparations for the training course - boxes of equipment, simulation specs, brochures etc. And a very small scruffy dog that had just sneaked into the photo!
Getting ready - no this dog isn't part of the training!!
Photo of Dave and our resources tables on the morning of the training
"Communicating to people with sight loss was enlightening to me"

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"Brilliant relaxed training for VI training that will be useful in my job"​


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We were pleased to attend and exhibit at the Sight for Surrey Showcase event, as well as speaking about our involvement with Sight for Surrey's new and exciting Employment Programme, launching in 2018.

Photo of participants undertaking the mega block challenge (with one participant wearing a blindfold, ear defenders and gloves)
Photo of participants during 'Puzzling Products'
"Very illuminating"
"Basing the course around a questionnaire was an excellent idea as it got us thinking at the start and then related to the content."
​"VIDA Training gave me excellent advice and experience of what it might be like to have sight loss."

Photo of participants and sign language interpreters during training
“Vicky and Dave are passionate trainers, providing a great level of knowledge with anecdotal stories to bring their information to light. Dave has a great sense of humour” ​​

Photo of a hug after a fab speech.
Photo of Vicky and Dave mirroring hand movements as part of the dance
Presentation of an award
Continuing our working relationship with Dementia Pathfinders, we were pleased to be invited to attend their Margaret Butterworth Awards event in London and also the Young Onset Dementia Group at St. George's hospital in Tooting where we met and participated with the group and demonstrated the Sighted Guide technique. 

Photo of Vicky and Dave in front of the banner at the RP Fighting Blindness Conference
We took the opportunity to attend the RP Fighting Blindness Conference in London. RP stands for Retinitis Pigmentosa, one of the eye conditions that Dave has.
We listened to some interesting talks, updating us on the latest research and treatments, as well as an inspirational talk from Steve Bate MBE, double gold medal winner at the Rio Paralympic Games. We were lucky enough to hold one of these sensory enriched gold medals.
In the afternoon there were several options for attending workshops, we attended the one on Employment.
All the RPFB staff were very welcoming and we look forward to attending another event with them soon.

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A few of our favourite photos of Errol - Dave's loyal and well-loved guide dog who sadly passed away on 22nd June 2017. Read about Dave's fantastic partnership with this wonderful dog in our blog In memory of Errol (13.06.2009 – 22.06.2017)

Photo of participants discussing a given scenario
Photo of guide dog Errol relaxing on the floor
Photo of particiapnts undertaking a communication exercise, with one person waering gloves, simulation specs and ear defenderse
Photo of our resources table
“Very successful and stimulating day of training” 
“Vicky and Dave very friendly, professional and knowledgeable. Thank you! Errol (Ernest) is lovely too”

Photo of participants with Errol
Photo of participants listening to training
Photo 1 of participants undertaking a communication exercise
Photo of Vicky and Dave whilst presenting
Photo 1 of participants during the 'Duvet Derby'
Photo 2 of participants undertaking a communication exercise
Photo of Vicky and Dave demonstrating sighted guide technique
Photo 2 of participants during the 'Duvet Derby'
Photo 3 of participants undertaking a communication exercise
Photo of Vicky and Dave demonstrating narrow gap technique
Photo of participants practising sighted guide technique
“Thank you for being so open, and allowing people to ask you daft questions!”

Photo of participants trying out simulation specs
Photo of participants discussing options during 'Puzzling Products' exercise
Photo 2 of participants trying out simulation specs
Photo of participants puzzling over products
Photo of table displaying equipment and information leaflets
Photo of participants
Photo of participants and Dave with guide dog, Errol
“This training has helped me to understand the impact of visual/hearing impairment in the overall assessment of a client’s needs in the course of my work.”

Photo of Errol the guide dog relaxing during the training
Photo of participants discussing a scenario
Photo of participants discussing a scenario
“I was really pleased with the course today. The facilitators were very engaging and approachable. They were also excited about the topics discussed. Great sense of humour and variety in teaching methods. I liked the video”.

Photo of Dave and Vicky at the Harlequin Theatre with the I, Daniel Blake film poster in the background
Audio Description at The Harlequin Theatre and Cinema in Redhill, enabled us both to fully appreciate the brilliant and thought provoking film 'I, Daniel Blake'.

2016

Photo of training participants
Photo of training participants with Errol, the guide dog, photobombing!
Photo of training participants trying on simulation specs
"Attendance of Errol (the guide dog) was a definite advantage. Both Vicky and Dave were very approachable and made the day an enjoyable experience"
"Great stuff! Great dog!"

Photo of participants listening to Dave
Photo of Dave and Vicky demonstrating Sighted Guide Technique on stairs
Photo of feedback forms
Photo of particapants practising Sighted Guide Technique through a narrow space
Photo of feedback forms - 2
"Very well delivered, both trainers had a large knowledge of the subject and explained things really well. Physical exercises were fun but very useful as well. Thank you very much."

Photo of participants during our Vision Impairment and Deafblind Awareness training
Photo of participants, Dave and Errol the guide dog during our Vision Impairment and Deafblind Awareness training
Photo of people getting ready to practice sighted guide technique and experiencing being guided
Photo of people practising sighted guide technique and experiencing being guided
Photo of participants during Sighted Guide Technique practice. Guided person wearing ear defenders and blindfold to simulate being guided as a deafblind person
Photo of participants during Sighted Guide Technique practice. Guided person wearing ear defenders and blindfold to simulate being guided as a deafblind person
"Very informative course. Both Vicky and Dave delivered it very well, with a lot of humour which made it interesting and easy to take in"

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We attended the Sight Village 2016 exhibition (organised by Queen Alexandra College) which showcased the latest technology, aids and support for vision impaired people.
The Barclays stand had new prepay contactless keyfobs and examples of credit cards with an indented edge to identify which way round the card would go in to a chip and pin machine as well as their cheque book and credit card writing guides.There were a range of organisations all happy to talk to us and demonstrate their computer access technology, CCTVs, braille displays and notetakers, SMART phones and accessible software, book readers and general living aids. We particularly liked the very stylish and accessible designer ‘Bradley’ watches from Eone. We also had interesting conversations from the Keratoconus self help and support association, Macular Society, MACS and BlindAid.
All good for keeping our training knowledge up to date!

Photo showing 4 of the readers on stage during play reading of 'Don't leave Me Now'
Photo of Brian, the playwright, talking to Vicky and Dave after the reading
We were really pleased to be able to attend the play reading of 'Don't Leave Me Now' at The Guildhall in Kingston. It provided a very informal and accessible way of gaining some insight into the realities of living with early onset dementia from various people's perspectives. The play reading was hosted by Dementia Pathfinders, working in partnership with St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Home Instead, Wimbledon and Kingston and is written by Brian Daniels who was also one of the readers and can be seen in the photo to the right talking to both of us.

Photo of participants listening and wearing blindfoldsPicture
Photo of Dave discussing accessibility of his i-phone
Photo of Vicky during training
Photo of Vicky and Dave, Dave explaining about different cane tips
Photo during 'Megablocks Mayhem'
Photo of particpant asking Vicky and Dave about accessible formats, with Errol the guide dog
Photo of participants at the start of the duvet derby
Photo of participants negotiating a door whilst undertaking Sighted Guide technique
Photo of participant receiving sweets under blindfold
Photo of particpant 1 completing the VIDA duvet derby
Photo of  particpant 2 inside the duvet cover during the Duvet Derby
Photo of participant 2 completing the duvet derby
"Thank you so much. You guys were so great! Thank you for the practical activities and Errol made my day"

Photo of Dave and Vicky wearing their 'Sim' specs
Tickets for the Cadogan Hall event
Dave and Vicky wearing their simulation specs whilst attending RNIB's See Through Sound event at Cadogan Hall in London. Great event with 6 live music acts watched through simulation specs by the audience. Simulation specs are glasses worn to provide the wearer with the visual effect of a sight loss condition. This is a good example of one of the experiences we discuss on our training.

Photo of table set up with equipment, handouts, simulation specs etc ready to start the training course, also including biscuits!
Photo of Errol the guide dog taking a break during training
Photo of leaflet display for Vision Impairment and Dementia Awareness course
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Photo of participants discussing a scenario
"Excellent training. I have worked with people with vision impairment at various points over the years and still learnt new skills and ideas"

Photo of course participants during a discussion
Photo of course participants laughing
Photo of Dave discussing his phone accessibility
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Photo of participants in groups discussing a scenario
"Really enjoyed the day. Learnt alot within a relaxed environment"

Photo of course participants during 'Puzzling Products' exercise
Photo of bag exchange during 'Puzzling Products'
Photo of participant on training
"Information given is very helpful in the future. Very informative, thank you"
"A lot of interaction with the trainers"

Photo showing people outside practising Sighted Guide technique
Photo of Vicky and aids and equipment display
Photo of Sighted Guide doorway technique being practised
Photo of people during 'Puzzling Products' exercise
Photo of people during 'Puzzling Products' exercise
People inside practising Sighted Guide technique
Photo of course participants during discussion
"Really fantastic training. It was useful to have training lead by someone with a visual impairment. Vicky and Dave are very approachable and gave practical advice and knowledge."

People during 'Puzzling Products' exercise
People discussing 'Puzzling Products' exercise
Photo of people practising Sighted Guide Technique
Photo of people practising Sighted Guide Technique through a narrow spacePicture
Photo of people Sighted Guide Technique coffee cup hold
"Thank you again for an outstanding, fun filled and relevant day! Thank you."

2015

Photo of hospital staff practising Sighted Guide TechniquePicture
Photo of Dave delivering training with Errol (his guide dog) relaxing
Photo of people practising Sighted Guide Technique on some stairs
photo of course participants
"I liked the 'personal approach' which made the course even more interesting. The practical experience of being blindfolded was particularly thought provoking."

Photo of people practising Sighted Guide technique on a ramp
Photo of Sighted Guide technique and positioning
Photo of people practising Sighted Guide technique with Dave and Errol (his guide dog) in the background
"Well structured, varied, informative"

Photo of participants during 'What's in the bag?'
Photo of course participants having a discussion
Photo of course participants discussing 'What's in the Bag?'
"Fantastic training session - thank you Vicky, Dave and Errol. Very helpful information, fab examples"
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