St Albans Macular Support Group
September 2026 Newsletter
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Welcome Back
After our brief summer break, I hope this finds everyone well and you have enjoyed the summer. Certainly, the high temperatures have been challenging at times.
We had a fabulous afternoon tea at Aldwyckbury Golf Club, Harpenden on July 14 and I received lots of good feedback about the food and service which I have passed onto the golf club. I will book the event again for July 27.
We have received a donation of £100 from the family of Margaret Rees (my mother-in-law), who passed away in June. Margaret was affected by macular disease and the family wanted the donation to go to our macular group.
We are very grateful for the donation and will ensure the money directly benefits our members.
💳 Membership Fees
We will once again be collecting membership fees of £20 per person from everyone who attends our meetings. We support an inclusive membership of everyone who is involved in our group including committee members.
Payment Methods:
Teresa will be collecting fees by cash, cheque, or bank transfer.
Early payment helps us to finish this task with minimum effort. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Daisee APP update 🌼
Note from Billy: Daisee APP grew organically from the St Albans Macular Group, shaped by members’ real experiences and ideas. We’re delighted that it has now reached over 10,000 users globally.
Several organisations have reviewed Daisee very positively including Sam from The Blind Life, and the Guernsey Blind Association has recommended it. Daisee has also caught the attention of the Macular Society and Colin Daniels, Services Innovation Manager from the UK Macular Society has described Daisee as “intuitive, simple to use and quick”. Both he and Hannah, Head of Sight Loss Support, are exploring opportunities for their members to help test Daisee APP for the next release.
A huge thank you to everyone at St Albans Macular Group; your feedback continues to shape Daisee APP and its community-led development.
Note from Cheri: Billy has done an enormous amount of work to get this launched and it’s a fabulous product. I would urge you all to download the app from the link above and try it!
Programme Sept 2026 – Jan 2027
I have been working on the new schedule which should be confirmed soon. I have attached the list of meeting dates, and the first 5 sessions are detailed below.
Sept 8th
Developments in Macular Research
Geraldine Hoad, Head of Research & Development (Macular Society)
Oct 13th
Fire Safety in the Home
Crew from St Albans Fire Department
Nov 10th
Living with Low Vision (TBC)
Mohammed Atif, Head of Technology for Life (RNIB)
Dec 8th
Christmas Party 🎄
Jan 12th
Annual General Meeting
Future Dates
Programme to be confirmed
- Feb 9 Hearing Loss - Audiologist
- Mar 9 Age Concern
- Apr 13 Update on managing macular disease - Optometrist
- May 11 Community Fair
- June 8 Mark Chapman (ELSO Luton & Dunstable Hospital)
- July 13 Save the date! Afternoon Tea 🍰