Name: Dawn O’Donnell Lives: I have lived in Worthing for 4.5 years moving from south east London in 2016.  How long have you been involved with SSW?When I moved here I knew no one and my husband was commuting back to London each day. He was leaving at 6 in the morning and not getting home until 5 in the evening; that’s a long day with no one to talk to especially if talking is your specialist subject!  I decided no one would knock on my door just for a chat so I better find some company. I walked down the road, saw the sign at SSW (then The Blind Society) asking if you could make tea and coffee, and applied as a volunteer. I volunteered for about two years then was asked to become a trustee in August 2019.  What’s your role at SSW? What do you especially enjoy about your role?I started in the Art class which I absolutely loved. Then I started taking members on trips and coffee mornings and helping out at afternoon events, which I did right up until covid stopped play.  If you take part in the activities or groups at SSW which have you particularly enjoyed or have special memories of?I have many fabulous memories of conversations with members, Christmas parties, days out and, of cours,e directing the legendary (in my mind) SSW pantomime but I think my favourite was in an art class. Fiona, the tutor, asked a member – also called Dawn – if she wanted to make a birthday card with an owl in it. She said “ohh I can’t do that” so I said I would help her. Dawn’s sight was poor and she was also quite fragile but, between us, we made the card and the look on her face when we finished it was magic. Sadly Dawn passed away not that long after but I will always remember her grinning from ear to ear with pride at her achievement.  What do you love about living where you do?I love the community feel in Worthing and every day during the pandemic I have thanked my lucky stars to be living by the sea.  How do you spend your free time?I do work part-time for another charity but have been furloughed for the best part of a year. In this time I have been drawing. I belong to the Lockdown Scribblers (started by Jacqui who works for SSW) and have drawn something, mainly with a Disney twist, every day since 1st Jan. I also belong to the Worthing Blue Tits and have swum in the sea about a dozen times so far this year, including Easter Sunday.  Tell us an amazing fact about yourself!I don’t have many amazing facts about myself but I did get married in Las Vegas and Elvis walked me down the aisle.  —–That’s a great fact to end on Dawn and in the words of the great man himself… “Thank you very much!”