A tribute to Steve Hyde, former South West Regional Campaigns Officer

Steve was part of our Campaigns team for the best part of a decade, first as a volunteer before becoming Regional Campaigns Officer, a role which he loved.

One of his proudest achievements was feeding into the development of Exeter bus station, ensuring signage and layout were accessible to blind and partially sighted people. Steve also spoke in front of 50 councillors in Devon, talking about the importance of accessible street design.  Steve received a standing ovation for this, something he was particularly pleased about.

Steve had a strong voice within Devon Bus Partnership, in particular lobbying Stagecoach to ensure their fleet had audio announcements – this is over 500 vehicles! He worked extensively with health trusts to ensure patients with sight loss could access their personal health information.

His commitment to volunteers and supporters was incredibly strong, and he worked alongside local individuals and groups supporting people to use their voice to make change locally.

Steve would bring his expertise in vision rehabilitation to the fore. This came in particularly useful when Steve met the MP for Swindon, Heidi Alexander, where he talked about the importance of this service to those who need it.

This is just a snapshot of the many and varied areas of Steve’s work. He really did make a huge impact and leaves a legacy of perseverance, tenacity, wry humour and absolute dedication to getting things done. He was also dedicated to his family and enjoyed spending time with his young grandchildren.

Lindsay Coyle, Senior Campaigns Manager said, “I have many fond memories of working with Steve. Whenever we spoke his passion for his work, and really making a difference to the lives of blind and partially sighted people, absolutely shone through. He was a much loved member of the team and our thoughts are with his family and friends.”