Jessica's Sightline Story

Jessica’s
Sightline Story

I was unwell in 2022 and as a result lost my mobility. Being in my 20s I felt like life suddenly ground to an abrupt halt. I felt I had nowhere to channel my energies and wanted to make use of my time at home after having to leave my employment within the care sector.

I did some online research and thought the volunteering role with Sightline would be a good fit for my personality. I currently speak with 8 befriendees each week. This may seem a lot but being at home all week, I can spread the calls across my available days and it’s actually a real pleasure. Whilst I don’t have a visual impairment myself, one of my family members does so I have some experience of what someone might be going through with their sight loss journey.

All my befriendees are very different and I like that. They may differ wildly in age range and interests but there’s one common factor that draws all our conversations together and that is their loneliness living with sight loss. Many of my befriendees don’t feel they have anything outside of their immediate life at home and/or have a lack of family support.

Our calls will often feature highs and lows points but the conversations are a two way street and I do get so much enjoyment out of them.

I have recently been doing some runway modelling in my wheelchair and have definitely got the bug for it. I’ve done shows in Manchester, Birmingham and London so far but who knows, Milan and Paris could well be next on the list! That’s always a good talking point during my calls; my befriendees always like to hear about what I am up to. I think it provides them with comfort and a distraction from their feelings of loneliness and isolation.

I would recommend anyone giving some of their time to Sightline as a Telephone Befriender. There’s nothing to lose with so much to gain; you can have just one call a week which will take less than an hour.

I’ll be putting my volunteering experience on my CV when the time is right to look for employment again, which I think prospective employers will like to know.