Scholarship recipients Lewis Marshall, Christina Shepherd, Nicholas Tung, and Mark Elder, chairman of The Lighthouse Vision Trust

The Lighthouse Vision Trust, a dedicated Canterbury-based low vision support charity, has awarded three $10,000 scholarships to Canterbury University students Lewis Marshall, Christina Shepherd and Nicholas Tung at the trust's end-of-year function.

Established in 2016, the scholarships support low vision university entrants. One of the scholarships is a memorial to Susan Barnes, a previous trustee who gained qualifications at Canterbury University despite having limited sight. The trust also supports research in the low vision field and assists people with low vision in their daily lives in collaboration with the Low Vision Clinic of the Canterbury District Health Board. Enquiries from optometrists who are interested in working in the clinic for a day or two a month are welcome, said Lighthouse Vision trustee Christine Arnold.

The Lighthouse Vision Trust scholarships are for one year’s full-time study of any course at Canterbury University. To be eligible, students must have visual acuity of 6/24 or worse in the best eye with correction, or less than a 20 degrees visual field. For more, contact lighthousevisiontrust@outlook.com