Lisa’s Sightline Story

Lisa’s
Sightline Story

I joined the team of volunteer telephone befrienders with Sightline in April 2022. I connected with a member of the Sightline staff on LinkedIn, and she approached me for an initial discussion as the charity needed telephone befrienders to undertake a weekly call with people who are sight impaired. I also volunteer with Age UK and wanted to find more to do in the same vein.

I am busy with home life being a single mum and my Mum’s main carer, but I do love my time volunteering – it’s lovely to be able to give someone your time if they need some friendship and understanding. Being blind from birth means I can offer my lived experience during calls too.

I currently speak with three befriendees each week; all of whom are older than me. The different stories and experiences I hear are all lovely to listen to.

Mary played archery when she was younger so we can chat for ages about our mutual love of sports. I play “Showdown” – a sport for visually impaired people which could be described as a fusion of air hockey, or table tennis. I also love to play Goalball; a team sport developed for blind or visually impaired players, in which a ball containing bells which make a sound when in motion is thrown at a goal at the opposing team’s end of the court. A big test of ear-hand coordination!

Tina is quite frail now and she was in hospital a little while ago, not having a great experience. She spoke to me about her worries, as like all of us from time to time, we don’t want to worry our families. She appreciates our calls as I can be her sounding board if she has any problems she wants to talk through.

Donald is a cheeky chap and I know he enjoys our chats; always ending our calls telling me he looks forward to us catching up next week.

I can tell the two ladies I speak with certainly appreciate the calls; the feeling of someone checking in with them each week, making sure they’re ok – it’s the human touch we all appreciate, isn’t it?

It is a two-way street, and they make sure I’m ok too – always asking what sort of week I am having. If I am feeling a bit low for whatever reason, it can be such a lovely feeling to know they care about me too.

The value of these calls can’t be underestimated – it’s just so rewarding and for very little time being asked of you, you can have a positive impact on someone’s mental health, and I love that.

I couldn’t pick just one favourite memory so far, but when Tina was going into hospital for surgery, clearly very anxious and worried she ended our call saying, “I love you.” That brought a tear to my eye; she just wanted to let me know how much she appreciates our calls and a moment I’ll never forget.

It’s so easy to volunteer with Sightline; my experience has been nothing but positive. The Sightline team are supportive and look after their volunteers well; with lovely surprises coming through the post from time to time too – I definitely feel appreciated. I’ve loved the opportunity to make new relationships outside my normal friendship circle too!