We were extremely sad to hear that Dr Sylvia Dunkley had passed away. Our condolences to her family and friends from all at SRSB and RSS.  The Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind (SRSB) first began working with Sylvia in 2011, and we were extremely proud when Sylvia recognised the value of our work by selecting SRSB as one of the chosen charities during her year as Lord Mayor of Sheffield in 2011/12. Throughout that year, we worked closely together on a wide range of fundraising and awareness initiatives. Our Fundraising Manager at the time, Sue Coggin, developed a wonderful rapport with Sylvia, and there were many laughs along the way.

We enjoyed our work together so much that Sylvia kindly agreed to continue supporting SRSB after the mayoral year, taking on the role of SRSB Ambassador. Our Ambassadors play a vital role in raising awareness of our charity across the Sheffield community. They attend formal meetings and social events, often engaging with groups where increasing our profile is particularly important. As a charity that works hard to raise awareness of visual impairment in Sheffield, this support is invaluable.

For many years, Sylvia also encouraged donations to SRSB through the numerous talks given to local groups, helping to extend our reach and impact even further.

After ten years of dedicated involvement, Sylvia stepped down as an Ambassador in 2021. However, interest in our work continued, along with very generous and thoughtful donations.

Throughout this long association, Sylvia was a familiar and much‑loved presence at both client and fundraising events - always smiling, always engaged, and always showing genuine interest in individuals and in the work we do to support people with sight loss.

As a small local charity, we are incredibly fortunate to have such committed support. We would like to thank Sylvia wholeheartedly for the dedication, generosity, and belief shown in SRSB over so many years.