Barry Stickings MBE Founder of BAAM
BAAM is an support group I wanted to establish for many years. Its function and aim to bring families together who have been soley affected by Bilateral Anophthalmia. So after retirement in 2016 I decided the time was right to fulfill this passion. I want to continue to help others whose families have a member(s) with Bilateral Anophthlamia.
Our son Toby was born in 1989 with Bilateral Anophthlamia and at that time there was no support or real knowledge of other families to turn too.Kelly and I felt lost and did not know who to speak too. There were no socoal groups that we could find. So my charity support career was destined to begin.
I became involved in supporting children with Bilateral Anophthalmia after attending a meeting organized by the Observer Sunday Newspaper in London in 1994. The Observer provided that lifeline by bringing other families together. This was the start of the MACS charity. MACS is a support group and charity established by a group of parents after that meeting in 1994
As a family we became members of MACS Microphthalmia, Anophthalmia & Coloboma Support in 1996. I then became an active member first as an Observer then trustee and I was then appointed as Chairman a role I held for 9 years. In 2016 for personal reasons I decided to stand down. I knew that I had achieved so much in taking the charity to a new level with a fantastic group of volunteer trustee parents. This role had given me a true sense of achievemnt and pleasure by way of helping others whose children had visual impairments. I am to this day sad to have left MACS leave but I remain an active supporter.
In 2018 I was awarded an MBE, Member of the British Empire from HRH Prince Charles (now HRH King Charles) for my services and work for children born with a visual impairment. I felt humbled and honoured and priviliged. This related to my time as a Trustee and Chairman of MACS.
I must also add that the help we have recieved from Moorfields Eye Hospital, Great Ormond Street, The Wolfsen Centre, Genetic services, local hospitals and Doctors from the NHS and all the familys we have met here in the UK and overseas has been amazing. We have made many friends for life.
My working career started in the Film industry in 1977 working for Medicine Film & Sound 142 both film editing production companies.
In 1978 I joined Cinema International Corperation covering Motion Picture publicity and distribution for movies from Paramount, Universal and MGM Studios.
From 1982 I worked overseas for over three years in the USA, Far & Middle East and Europe for an international Onboard Mail Courier company IML. This involved spending over 3 weeks a month travelling overseas and visiting so many amazing places that we as a family have returned to many times since.
In 1986 I joined the Metropolitan Police Force in London as a Police Officer. I served across London based at various stations in uniform for 12 years and later within several Serious Specialist Crime Directive units. In 2016 I retired after 30 years of an amazing career making friends for life and being involved in events that I hoped changed peoples lives for the better.
At the same time we moved from London to Kent to live by the sea. As a family we continue regular theatre trips, cinema, good food together plus giving Toby lots of life experiences with his partner Justine. This includes includes much travel across the world on a regular basis.
I now work part time for Kent Association For the Blind as driver and Community Support officer on the mobile sight service IRIS covering the entire Kent county. Previously having worked for 8 years in France for the UK Border Force.
I am so proud to be running BAAM its so ething I always wanted to do for thise solely with this rare condition. If you feel you could give something to BAAM in anyway please contact me.
And finally what drives me is that if one person from when I joined MACS, started BAAM and to this day is when I hear "thank you" from just one person I have achieved everything.But thats a phrase I have heard with my old team from MACS and now with BAAM 1000's of times.