Homecall’s original home visiting scheme for the visually impaired in Hastings & St Leonards was the first such scheme to be established in the UK. By July 1985, six visitors had been recruited to visit eleven clients. Using our model, similar schemes have since been set up in Cornwall, Northumberland and West Sussex.
By 1996, Homecall had established additional schemes in Bexhill and Rural Rother. In the year following, Homecall became the Southern Home Counties winner of the Whitbread/Home Office Volunteer Action Award.
In April 2000, East Sussex Social Services received additional central Government monies in the form of a two-year Promoting Independence Grant. It subsequently contracted with East Sussex Vision Care (ESVC) — a charitable consortium comprising East Sussex Association for the Blind, Hastings & Rother Voluntary Association for the Blind and Eastbourne Blind Society — to provide a home visiting service throughout East Sussex. In turn, ESVC contracted with Homecall to deliver the service, known as the Independent Living Scheme.
The Promoting Independence Grant, which expired in March 2002, enabled Homecall to expand its pioneering home visiting schemes for the visually impaired throughout the county from its established areas in Hastings & St Leonards, Rural Rother and Bexhill to Eastbourne (Sep 2000), Ouse Valley (Nov 2000), South Wealden (Oct 2000) and North Wealden (Oct 2000).
Subsequent to that, East Sussex Vision Care funded Homecall on an annual, renewable basis until the contract expired at the end of September 2006, when Homecall, once again, become self-funding. Plans for future development included a scheme to build a bank of volunteers to offer a service to accompany clients to appointments and activities and offer a one-off or time limited service to clients who need specific short term help and to offer an increased service when a client's carer was away or indisposed. We are also planning to extend the service to include clients living in residential care who would benefit from the service.
Homecall was awarded ‘The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service’ on June 2nd 2006 when the charity was deemed worthy of special recognition, making 2006 a bittersweet year. This is a very special accolade, which we hope will support our applications for funding to help us to continue the good work.
In April 2008 it was with great regret that Trustees of Homecall announced that the countywide scheme would close in six months time as insufficient funding had been identified to enable the charity to continue. At this point, with great determination, the Bexhill area of the countywide scheme launched a fundraising campaign supported by the local Observer newspaper. Over a number of weeks the campaign gathered momentum and captured the imagination of the town. With tremendous support from the Bexhill Observer, local businesses, organisations, clubs and individuals enough money was raised locally to enable Homecall to continue in Bexhill when all other areas closed on 30th September.
A year on, September 2009, Homecall continues to thrive in Bexhill. It is by no means easy to identify adequate funding but with continuing local support Homecall is now on a reasonably sound footing and is working towards establishing a guaranteed service to Blind and Partially Sighted residents of Bexhill and the surrounding area.
A paid part-time Scheme Manager, who recruits volunteer visitors and then ‘matches’ them with blind and partially sighted clients, manages the area. The Scheme Manager is accountable to the Homecall Trustees, a majority of whom are either visitors or clients.