Mr Gaisford, a former mayor of Kingston, was presented with a millennium hallmarked silver dish in recognition of his devotion to the association.

He was also made honorary vice president of the charity, which has gone from strength to strength under his guidance.

His final project was to appoint a volunteer co-ordinator to run a home visiting scheme for the visually impaired.

Volunteers can assist clients with day-to-day jobs including paying bills and answering correspondence and also be on hand to help with the shopping.

The association hopes to boost its membership by publicising the scheme, which has proved successful in other boroughs.

For details of the scheme contact Kim Jones on 020 8977 0341.