Meet the Team
Name: Becky Harrison
Role: Chairperson and Committee Member
Appointed: 2023 – January 2027
Key Responsibilities
Chairing Meetings: Chairing regular committee meetings, general members meetings and meetings with outside agencies and groups.
Awareness, Networking and Publicity: Raising awareness of Swindon Bats and what the Charity does, making sure that Sight loss is a prominent topic of conversation within the wider community in order to raise awareness of our members. Try to put a focus on accessibility and removing barriers for people with sight Impairment. Networking with other local groups, charities and organisations to make positive links for the Charity in our wider community.
Fundraising and Financial Oversight: Grant applications, online banking, working on fundraising projects and looking at projections for future spending and financial stability for the Charity.
Sports and Social Activities: Supporting the Social Coordinators to book activities and day trips. Plan access to accessible sports such as cycling, sailing, lawn bowls and showdown. Booking transport, travel and hotels for national competitions.
Connection to BATS and Sight Loss
Becky lost the majority of her sight in 2021, after a routine eye appointment due to continuous migraines, showed unusual shadows on a retinal scan. Becky was diagnosed shortly after with 3 sight conditions she was completely unaware she had. Over the course of 6 months her sight was reduced to such blurred central vision that she could no longer recognise faces and no longer see anything on a cinema screen.
Becky has Pathological Myopia, Subcapsular Cataracts and Myopic Macular Degeneration with Atrophy Scaring at the back of her eyes.
Becky found Bats at her lowest point in 2023 when she was desperately trying to find other people with Sight loss to connect with. Becky says “Without Bats I don’t even know if I could of carried on, every day felt like a struggle to get up in the morning until I found my second home at Swindon Bats.”
Hidden Talent & Superpower
Becky says she makes a mean Lentil Ragu and if she could have any super power it would be to reverse all the environmental damage in the world and restore nature to it’s full beauty.
Name: Alison Fulton (Ali)
Role: Social Activities Co-Coordinator
Appointed: 2025
Key Responsibilities
Planning & Outreach: Ali researches inclusive outings. From day trips and comedy nights to casual coffee catch-ups and regularly polls our members to see what interests them.
Accessibility & Cost: BATS heavily subsidises our events (typically 50% or more) and negotiates free or reduced places for carers.
Bats also works hard where possible to arrange suitable group transport, like minibuses and taxis, to ensure cost and travel are never barriers to taking part.
Event Logistics: Ali also handles ticket purchasing, keeps the finances aligned with our Treasurer, and organises accessible meeting points for group entry.
Memorable Outings
Past highlights include coach trips to the coast and London museums, a Kennet & Avon Canal boat trip, and a sensory tour of Westonbirt Arboretum with guide support. Ali also organises major annual gatherings like the BATS Christmas meal.
Connection to BATS & Sight Loss
Following a brain bleed in 2017, Ali experienced sudden sight loss, leaving her with central, out-of-focus vision in her right eye and minimal vision in her left.
While recovering with support from Headway Swindon, Ali discovered BATS. She reached out, joined a Wednesday tenpin bowling session, and immediately felt at home: “I was made so welcome and felt like I’d found my tribe. Being around others with sight loss was a huge comfort and a voyage of discovery.”
Hidden Talent & Superpower
“My superpower is the ability to chat with total strangers, put them at ease, and share experiences about adjusting to life with visual impairment.”
Name: Sue Mead
Role: Secretary & Tenpin Bowling Organiser
Appointed: 2006
Key Responsibilities
Secretarial Support: Arranging committee meetings, preparing essential documentation, and keeping administrative operations running smoothly.
Sports & Activities: Organising BATS’s tenpin bowling events, including our regular Wednesday afternoon sessions for members and involvement in national competition.
Connection to BATS and Sight Loss
Sue is an active life time member since the very start of Swindon Bats and continues to be a dedicated volunteer. Sue is totally blind due to Juvenile Glaucoma, giving her a direct, lived understanding of the community BATS supports.
Hidden Talent & Superpower
While Sue insists she doesn’t have a hidden superpower, her dedication behind the scenes keeps our meetings running, our members fully updated and informed and our Bowling lanes full!
Name: Richard Carver
MSc(Eng) C.Eng MIMechE.
Role: Treasurer
Appointed: 2008
Key Responsibilities
Richard keeps a record of all financial transactions done by the Charity. He also helps administer some transactions and official documentation e.g. Gift Aid, Public Liability Insurance, Tenpin Bowling.
Connection to BATS & Sight Loss
In 2008 Richard was persuaded to become Treasurer of the Charity (by the then Chairman) following his friend suddenly going blind, just when Richard’s employer went into receivership and before he was due to retire.
Richard found himself with time on his hands (and a car) to help him. His friend discovered the BATS and hence so did Richard.
Richard also then had his own lived experience of sight difficulties when he contracted Ophthalmic Shingles which required treatment at the Eye Clinic to save his sight in one eye.
Hidden Talent & Superpower
Richard has previously been involved in some Engineering Consultancy (Hydraulics) and has written some published papers on related subjects. He is interested in scientific subjects and tries to answer related questions as a member of a local quiz team! Richard plays Chess for a local team/league and is also Treasurer for them as well. All of the above leaves him very little time for anything else!
Name: Andrea Vigor
Role: Social Activities Co-Coordinator
Appointed: 2025
Key Responsibilities
Event Planning: Working alongside Ali to manage social activities from start to finish, from initial research and gauging member interest to ticket bookings, collecting payments, and arranging accessible transport.
On-the-Day Support: Ensuring enough sighted volunteers are present for every event and attending on the day so everything runs smoothly and safely.
Varied Activity Calendar: Organising theatre trips, coach day trips, boat outings, coffee mornings, BATS Breakfasts, and major events like the annual Christmas party.
Future Projects: Looking ahead to expand our lineup with craft classes, cinema experiences, afternoon teas, and more activities tailored for blind and visually impaired members.
Connection to BATS & Sight Loss
Andrea was born visually impaired. After having to stop working, she found Swindon BATS through a social worker in late 2008 at a time when she was feeling incredibly lonely.
Joining BATS gave her a huge boost and a strong sense of belonging: “Everyone in Swindon BATS says it is like a family to them, and that is very, very true. It has helped so many people, and I am proud to be a ‘Battie’! I love this role alongside Ali and feel like I am giving something back to this wonderful group that has helped me so much.”
Hidden Talent & Superpower
If Andrea could have any superpower, it would be the ability to stop all wars—and to restore sight to everyone who is visually impaired.