Volunteer Opportunities

If you can spare as little as one hour per week for a friendly chat with a visually impaired person from the comfort of your own home, we need YOUR help. People with a visual impairment, many of whom have faced social isolation since their initial diagnosis of sight loss, are facing even greater isolation, loneliness and anxiety following the COVID-19 pandemic; which could lead to more worrying long-term mental health issues. Many Sightline Telephone Befrienders enjoy the benefits of volunteering. Catherine says: “I love volunteering with Sightline; the joy you can bring supporting others is so rewarding. It's so easy to do, fits around home life and leaves you with such a good feeling; I'd definitely recommend other people to try it!” How does Sightline's telephone befriending service work?Service User referrals are received from a variety of sources such as national and local sight loss charities.Volunteers are recruited from a variety of sources such as exhibitions/events and local voluntary organisations. Sightline is completely dependent on volunteers for the delivery of its Befriending ServiceData, including eye conditions, interests/hobbies, gender/age/address are obtained for both Service Users and Volunteers to enable the matching process to be completed. In addition, Service Users and Volunteers can stipulate the day of the week and time of day that they would like to receive the calls, which can be at any time on any day of the week, including weekends.The matching process attempts to match Service Users with Volunteers to build lasting relationships. Occasionally the matching process fails, and new matches are put in place.The matches are input to Sightline's secure telephony system which handles all calls and is free to both Service Users and Volunteers.There is no strict timescale for calls, so calls can continue for as long as you feel necessary and are comfortable with. On average calls currently last around 45 minutes. Becoming a befriender can help you in a number of ways: A great addition to any CV Receive comprehensive training Gain new skills Fits around home life Support people in the sight loss community Safe working environment Without the help of our dedicated team of volunteers we couldn't offer our telephone befriending service. If you are friendly and reliable, we'd love to hear from you. Sightline is an inclusive organisation that welcomes volunteers from all backgrounds.