Maisie’s Sightline Story

Maisie’s
Sightline Story

I have been volunteering with Sightline for around 6 months now. I wanted to give some of my time because after lockdown I really came to understand how lonely life can be for some people.

I decided to telephone befriend with Sightline as I wanted to make a difference in the lives of those who really needed friendship. I also wanted to make friends with people who are from a different place and have different backgrounds to me, to widen my perspective on life.

My first befriendee is called Melanie, who is 98. She is wonderful and tells me lots of interesting stories about how she served in the Army during WWII. I am in my early twenties, so I love to listen and learn! We also talk about her lovely daughters, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She loves to hear about what I have been up to and what I do at work. We often have a laugh and talk about geography as she is very interested in studying different parts of the world. Melanie is warm and kind -hearted and gives me excellent life advice; she’s always telling me to make the most of every moment.

My other befriendee is Tom who is in his seventies and lives in Liverpool. Tom is great and loves to tell me all about his life and late wife Abigail. He enjoys cooking so we often talk about food aswell as what has been on TV that week. He talks fondly of his family and loves hearing about mine and how I find life living in London. Tom makes me laugh and has a very positive outlook on life which always rubs off on me during our calls!

Each week, both Melanie and Tom tell me how much they look forward to my calls during their weeks. I believe me calling them gives them something to look forward to. They also get pleasure from reliving their memories of the past which I love to ask about; I’m sure it makes them feel happy and joyful.

I truly believe they are my friends, and I am theirs and I am helping to make their lives a lot less lonely.

Volunteering at Sightline has truly transformed my perspective on life. Everything I do now, I think about making the most of it, much like Melanie and Tom tell me to do. I have a lot more empathy for other people and their own situations, and always consider how difficult a lot of peoples’ lives can be. I feel very grateful for what I have and can talk to range of people a lot easier now.

I have two favourite befriending memories so far. Melanie once spent some time telling me about her late husband and how they met, reflecting on her life as a young woman and the struggles she encountered back in “her day.” She told a couple of stories of being a woman in the military and how she is so glad the world is a better place for women now rather than back when she was younger. This made me feel empathetic for what she has experienced in her past, but I am so pleased she has lived to see such change!

My other favourite memory is that as I was saying goodbye to Tom one day and I called him darling. He stopped me and said, “No-one has called me anything so lovely, in so long” and it made him quite emotional. Just knowing one word can brighten someone’s day was wonderful and I am so glad it brightened his!

I always encourage my friends to help make a difference too by becoming a Sightline volunteer, in fact I’d recommend the opportunity to anyone.