Visitors are invited to tea with the Cornwall Blind Association at the Royal Cornwall Show – but they have to make it themselves – blindfolded!

The Cornwall Blind Association aims to raise awareness throughout Cornwall of visual impairments and are inviting visitors to ‘pop by for a cuppa' at stand number 57 while they are temporarily, visually impaired.

The opportunity is open to anybody who would like to experience living with sight loss. Visitors to the stand will be blindfolded and asked to get the milk from the fridge, find the sugar, pop in the tea bag and fill up the cup (with cold water of course).

Daring members of the public are given the opportunity to use their all their senses, other than sight, to identify items in the sensory exploration pods. With unusual smells and strange objects, it's an experience that highlights just how different life can be with a visual impairment.

Visitors can try on the "sim specs", pairs of glasses that emulate different eye conditions while learning about how sight loss affects many people.

The whole stand this year will be dedicated towards promoting awareness of visual impairment and about the services Cornwall Blind Association provides to people in the county. These include information on health and wellbeing, low vision, access to technology, volunteers, benefit advice and the counselling service.

We will also be letting people know how they can get involved, either by becoming a volunteer in one of our special areas. If you like to chat then why not become a Talking Support volunteer, becoming a friend over the phone for somebody. Or if you are an active person, you could become a Befriender, taking a visually impaired person out once a week. The volunteers who give their time to us say that not only do we provide life changing services - but we also change their lives.

Jackie Southon, Fundraising Manager, said: "Please come and visit stand number 57. You can find out all about the fantastic work of the charity, you can get involved and you can get interactive with our fun, but enlightening tasks.

"Sight loss can affect anybody and the charity already helps over 4,500 people all over Cornwall to lead more independent lives. Learn about the vital charity work that has been provided over the last 150 years and about how we can help you, your friends and your family, now, or in the future."