DINNER will be served in complete darkness at an event to raise money for a charity which supports people who are visually-impaired or blind.

Dining in the Dark will be held on Saturday, October 18, when guests will enjoy a meal in the pitch black and focus on their other senses of smell, taste, sound and texture.

The event will raise awareness and funds for Helping Hands for the Blind – a Basingstoke charity which supports people who are visually impaired or blind.

David Chatten-Smith, chairman of the charity, who lost his sight in December 2004 after being struck down with meningitis, said: “Without vision, information from our other senses becomes more noticeable and conversation becomes more intimate.

“For those who are blind, this is a chance for friends and family to experience for a few short hours what those that are blind live with every day.”

Dining in the Dark will take place at The Fox Inn, in Newfound, starting at 7.30pm with live jazz and swing music by local musician Steve Conway.

Guests will then enjoy a two-course meal including chicken Portobello or vegetable risotto, followed by mango and coconut cheesecake or fruit salad.

Tickets cost £20 and can be bought by sending a cheque to Helping Hands for the Blind, Chute House, Church Street, Basingstoke, RG21 7QT, or online at helpinghandsfortheblind.org.uk/dinner-dark.