Our Activities

We design our activities to support you to live life to the full and continue to do the things you enjoy. We hope you also find new interests or things to get involved in.

The ideas for our activities come from our members, and many of our clubs are run by volunteers who are living with sight loss themselves. If there’s something that you would enjoy that we don’t offer then let us know: we are always looking for new ideas.

Our clubs are subsidised and charge a nominal session cost of £2.50.  We can offer minibus transport for some activities at £5 per person. The charge for “Out and About” activities varies to reflect the cost of the activity and includes transport.

To find out more about our clubs please contact us.

Please do not attend any of our in-person clubs if you or anyone in your household is showing symptoms of Covid or has had a positive Covid test. All face-to-face interactions carry a risk of contracting Covid: by booking onto one of our activities you are confirming that you are aware of this risk and are nevertheless happy to take part.  

Walford Hall Club

RAB Members taking part in card making activity

We have two weekly clubs that run on a Tuesday and Friday from 10:30am to 1:30pm in Walford Hall.

These clubs offer an opportunity to come to the Hall to spend time and make friends with other people living with sight loss. Each week there are a range of activities to participate in, such as craft, board games and a quiz. We also have volunteers who can help with IT problems in IT corner, which is equipped with a screen reader,  PC, iPad and a smart speaker.

In some sessions we offer additional activities such as baking, gardening, and woodwork. We also hold themed sessions to mark special events, designed in response to suggestions from club members. We are always looking for new ideas!

A member of the Outreach team is also on site during these clubs to arrange loans from our resource library and provide drop-in outreach support.

Members can purchase our home-made lunch or bring food from home.

Session cost: £2.50 (includes tea or coffee, biscuits, and all craft materials)

Lunch cost:  £3 (jacket potato or a filled roll)

Transport available at £5 per session. Transport must be booked and paid for in advance, please call 0118 957 2960 to check availability and book.

Session and lunch payments are taken on the day. Card payment preferred.

Rambling Club

Ramblers and volunteers in front of the Butchers Arms wearing Hi-Vis JacketsOur rambling club was set up nearly 30 years ago by a member who missed being able to go for country walks. Every other week, weather permitting, our visually impaired members and sighted volunteers enjoy a hike followed by a pub lunch.

This activity includes a lot of walking and some hikes will require you to be guided over a stile. You should be prepared for changes in the weather and bring drinking water.

This is a free activity but many of our visually impaired ramblers choose make a donation towards the costs RAB incurs in running it. Our suggested donation is the standard RAB activity fee of £2.50 a session.

Transport is available to and from Walford Hall at a cost of £5.

Please contact us  if you would like to join the club.

Lawn Bowls Club

RAB Bowls team with Reading Football Club former players association

Our bowls team meet weekly year round to practice and enjoy matches against other teams each summer. No experience necessary! Contact us

Social Club

Our monthly Social Club is based at Walford Hall. Each session includes entertainment and an opportunity to meet and socialise with other people with visual impairments.

Session cost £2.50, including light refreshments.

We are always looking for new entertainers or speakers for our social club so if you think our members would enjoy hearing from you contact us and let us know.

Out and About

RAB Members on a river boat trip

Out and about is a monthly trip with transport and sighted guides provided where necessary.

We have gone boating on the river, visited museums, and “shopped ‘til we dropped” at the Winchester Christmas Market.

Our members help decide where we go on these trips and we are always looking for suggestions. These occasions are also great for our volunteers as they get to share in the joy of exploration. Costs vary depending on the trip.

Virtual activities

Now that our in-person clubs are resuming we have scaled back our virtual activities, but we still  run some of our most popular sessions over the summer and at Easter.  These sessions are free to people living with sight loss in Reading Borough. All these sessions can be joined using a landline phone. Contact us to find out more.