Draft:North Wales Society of the Blind

The North Wales Society of the Blind (NWSB; Cymdeithas Deillion Gogledd Cymru; also spelled as the North Wales Society for the Blind) is a visually impaired support charity based in Gwynedd, North Wales.

Background and history
The charity supports blind and partially sighted people in North Wales. They provide practical and emotional support to those with the condition of all ages, and throughout North Wales. The charity aims to promote independence, choice and confidence in the people they support, whilst also providing them with the essential services decided to be important by the charity's members. NWSB has a resource centre in Bangor, manage an Eryri Walking Group for walks in Snowdonia (Eryri), and provide various grants, audiobooks, training or mentorship to support their cause or raise awareness. As of 2010, there were about 3,000 visually impaired people in North Wales.

The charity was established on 5 January 1882, by nineteen volunteers. These volunteers were led by the Bishop of Bangor presidency and aimed to teach the blind to read, by establishing a branch of the Home Teaching Society for the Blind, in North Wales.

In 1895, the society has created a library of braille, containing 450 books. In 1920, it acquired 75 High Street, Bangor.

In 1923, David, Prince of Wales (later becoming Edward VIII) consented to become the Patron of the Society, which he remained while as the Prince of Wales until 1936 upon his accession to the throne. In 1939, the society moved to 204 High Street in Bangor, and in 1945, 50 years after its establishment, it adopted its current name.

In 2006, the society put their owned residential home for the blind, Llys Onnen in Abergele, up for sale. The home had been running at a loss for the last 15 years (except in one year). 2000 people signed a petition opposing the closure, while the society stated it is still to consider bids for the home, but a deal was imminent. There were rumours a deal had been agreed with a bidder, with a commitment to continuing to run the home as a place for the blind. A deal in principle was agreed with Dylan Southern, which operated a care home near the Abergele site.

In 2007, the society had its funding cut by 40% by Gwynedd Council, leading to criticism from visually impaired individuals.

In 2008, the society launched an annual award that recognises a member of the public overcoming the challenges of visual impairment. The first recipient in 2008, was a four-year old Holyhead girl who underwent multiple operations. In 2009, the charity's HQ in Bangor, was partly damaged by an adjacent fire, they temporarily relocated to the studios of local media company Barcud TV, in Caernarfon, who offered to accommodate the charity.

In 2010, the society launched a shooting club based at their courtyard in Bangor. The club would allow blind and visually-impaired people to use an air rifle aided by acoustics, to shoot pellets at a target.

In 2019, the 10 Downing Street contacted the charity to award one of their former volunteers, the Points of Light award to recognise their efforts to help blind and partly sighted people. In 2021, the radio of Ysbyty Gwynedd dedicated a show to the charity.