"Volunteering makes me feel worthwhile, I just love helping other people"

“Our support group helps to bring some pleasure to people who are affected by this disease and I just feel so grateful to be able to volunteer with it.”

In 2025, Jenny will have spent 16 years helping out at her local support group for people with macular disease. While she doesn’t have sight loss herself, she joined to follow in the footsteps of her late husband Alan who was a group volunteer.

Alan had age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and was diagnosed ten years before his passing in 2008. A year later and Jenny, a former nurse, is helping to manage the meetings in Banstead.

Jenny, 86, said: “Sometimes I think if I hadn't married Alan, I wouldn't have known anything about the macular group. So it's been a great, great asset in my life. It's amazing how something good can come out of a bad situation. I find that incredible.

“I think it’s been good for me, and I hope I’m helping people by volunteering. It’s certainly helped me because it’s given me a focus in my retirement.

“It makes me feel worthwhile and I really love it. I just love helping other people and I’ve made lovely friends from the group.

“What I've learned and what stands out to me mainly is people’s stoicism. I just think they are amazing people who are at different points of accepting their macular condition and adapting accordingly.”

The Macular Society has all sorts of volunteering opportunities, from support group volunteers, to Connect by Tech volunteers, research lay panel members and telephone befrienders.

After a decade of service Mike, who has wet AMD, recently retired as a befriender. Knowing about the condition was an important part of the process for Mike, who wanted to play his part and help others.

Mike, 90, said: “Having information is really helpful, so I think joining the Macular Society and reading the magazine Sideview is a good start, because that helps you to understand and know what you're up against.”

It was through reading Sideview that Mike found out about volunteering opportunities, and in the last ten years has spoken to many people by telephone as a regular friendly voice.

“It’s nice to know you have been able to help someone,” he explained.

“What I have always found to benefit people is just being able to listen to them. It's been very rewarding and through listening to other people, that has done me a lot of good too.”