Why become a Volunteer?

At Sight Support Derbyshire we exist to enhance the quality of life of blind and visually impaired people by providing a wide range of services in Derbyshire.

We do this by providing practical and emotional support to people and their families, we also work to reduce avoidable sight loss by providing information to people about good eye health.

Sight Support Derbyshire was founded in 1914 and since then we been supported by passionate and dedicated volunteers, we currently rely on around 70 active volunteers to help us in our work.

 

What Do Our Volunteers Do?

Our amazing volunteers help in all aspects of what we do, those of which include:

·         Befriending - Helping to provide support services to sight impaired people living in the community.

·         Social Activities - Assisting our members during a variety of fun and engaging activities
·         Children and Young People Support – Assist in giving the children and young people the opportunity to make friends, share opportunities, develop social/life skills and gain confidence.  
·         MRC (Mobile Resource Centre) –Traveling to specific locations throughout the county to deliver eye health information and demonstrate low vision aids and equipment to visually impaired people, their family and to interested members of the public.
·         Events and Fundraising – A variety of ad-hoc events to get involved in too.

Some volunteer roles rely on regular commitment, but others are much more flexible. 

 

Why Volunteer?

There are many reasons why people volunteer with us, these reason can range from:

·         To give something back and make a difference
·         Volunteers who are also visually impaired or know someone who is and would like to help our cause.
·         To social and make new friends
·         Utilise their skills to help others
·         To learn new skills
·         To add to their C.V as reputable work and life experience

Whatever your reasons and interests, it is likely we will have something to suit you.

 

Support for Volunteers

We want to look after our volunteers as you are an integral and very important part of the work we do here at Sight Support Derbyshire.

·         We provide relevant training for each role, and you shall have a member of staff allocated as your point of contact for any assistance you may need for your volunteering journey with us.
·         We reimburse expenses for our volunteers in line with our policy
·         We want you to feel involved and connected to what we do here and regular newsletters will be sent out to keep you informed.
·         Various events and gatherings for our volunteers to thank you for your dedication and time

We want our work to have a positive impact on the lives of the people we support. In order to do this, we know it takes enthusiasm, initiative and courage along with the ability to see people and not just problems. In short, it takes people like you, who care about making a difference.