DOWNING Street Charity Shop, in Farnham, presented a cheque for £1,000 to the Macular Society Farnham Support Group.

The cheque was received on behalf of the group by Brian Driscoll and Shirley Driscoll, the group leader and treasurer respectively.

The money will help transport members who would otherwise be unable to attend the meetings and events as well as other costs including hall hire, refreshments and speakers’ fees.

Macular disease affects the centre of the retina and renders sufferers unable to read, write, recognise family and friends nor carry out any accurate tasks.

It is the biggest cause of blindness in the UK with more than 600,000 sufferers and an additional 200 diagnosed every day.

The Farnham Support Group meets on the first Thursday each month (except January) in Daniel Hall, situated in Long Garden Walk, Farnham, from 1.30 to 3.30pm.

The next meeting on April 7 is on the ‘Golden Age BBC Comedy’ followed by discussion among members over refreshments. Carers are also very welcome and there is no need to book – just turn up.

The onset of sight loss often brings on a sense of isolation and support groups help to overcome this by meeting others with similar problems and learning how they can be overcome.