Evan, aged 12, and Azeez, aged 13, are young ambassadors for RNIB, working to raise funds and awareness of who we are and what we do. Here is their exclusive interview with RNIB.
Tell me about yourselves
We go to school at Spratton Hall, Northamptonshire and love playing outdoor hockey, rugby, cricket. Anything sporty!
What would you like to do when you leave school?
Azeez: I would like to be an actor.
Evan: I would like to be a teacher.
Why are you raising funds for RNIB?
Our school has given us a project to choose a charity, find out about them, raise funds and raise awareness. We have been doing this for a year and we write a project in May, which counts towards our end of year mark.
What made you choose RNIB?
We wanted to choose a charity that no one in school had heard of. Last year somebody did Dotty Day about Louis Braille so people already knew about braille. I (Evan) emailed RNIB and I got a response within 24 hours, addressed to me personally, so I was very impressed!
Tell me what you have found out about RNIB
We are amazed that RNIB receives no Government funding. We know that Dr Armitage is the founder of the organisation and have learnt lots about sight loss too. We have learnt so much, especially what you take for granted because you can see. We've learnt how important Talking Books and large print books are to people with sight loss and how much the Helpline can help. Although we have seen braille before in lifts, we have never thought about how important it is.
What are you doing to raise funds?
We held a table top sale at our local Scarecrow Festival and raised £300. We held a cake sale at school with some friends and split the profits, raising £111 for RNIB. We are planning a seven mile blindfolded walk. This will be really fun because each person that is blindfolded will have a sighted guide.
How much do you think you will raise?
When we started we wanted to raise enough to pay for one children's Talking Book. But with the support we have had, we are now hoping to reach £1000, which will pay for two Talking Books.
Do you have any special memories?
We spent a day in the Peterborough Office and had the chance to do our own drawing which was then raised up on paper to become a tactile image. Everyone at RNIB has been so welcoming, helpful and generous. We couldn't have done any of this without the help of Sue Villiers, Community Fundraiser.
What would you like to gain from this project?
We have really enjoyed finding out about RNIB and meeting the people that work here. We really want other people to take on RNIB next year as a project so they can continue to raise money and awareness.