Author: Rebecca Billington

I don’t ever imagine not speaking with Greg. We’ve been chatting just over a year now and I really hope that continues for a long time. I’d recommend the Sightline telephone befriending service to others; if you’re feeling lonely these calls really can make a difference and lift your spirits; I’m proof of that…

It’s been brilliant talking to Jake – he’s re-discovering lost confidence all the time – I just love the fact that I have played a small role in helping with the befriending calls. We don’t just discuss sight loss during our calls; I have a Guide Dog and he has just welcomed a new dog into the family home. We’re sharing funny stories about the dogs and he tells me how his new four legged friend gives him more routine and helps with getting out and about for walks etc…

I currently speak with three very lonely older ladies. We chat about all sorts of things, mainly exchanging conversations about our families. One of my ladies tells me she can discuss things with me that she doesn’t feel she could share with her family. I find that a huge privilege that she finds me such a confidant; I help in any way I can…

It feels like we’ve known each other forever and I hope we can continue our calls for many more years to come. I class him as one of my closest friends even though we have never met and never will…

I am approaching my 10-month volunteering anniversary with Sightline having heard about the opportunity through another charity near to where I live. I thought it would be perfect for me as I have glaucoma and sensitivity to light so can understand life living with sight loss and share my support to someone else in a similar boat to me…

Football is always a talking point during our calls. We always have a bit of banter about how Claire’s team are performing in The Championship; it’s never that well so we never end up spending more than a couple of minutes on that at the start of our calls!

I can’t ever imagine not volunteering my time to do these calls now; they’re so enjoyable and I really would miss chatting to my befriendees. I’ve struck up real friendships with both and look forward to picking up the phone each week…

We’re approaching our first year anniversary and we hit it off straight away as we could share similar experiences living with glaucoma. I like to talk about anything and everything, so we never run out of things to chat about. I still have my central vision so enjoy watching soaps like Emmerdale. My befriender doesn’t watch soaps, but she still always asks what’s been happening and if I enjoyed the episode last week!

I would really miss the calls with Ben if they didn’t happen. They make all my Monday mornings different and get rid of those Monday morning blues! Whether it’s reminiscing about childhood experiences or what we’ve done week by week I really enjoy all our calls…