THE local branch of sight loss charity Guide Dogs is looking for new volunteers in Frome.
It’s looking for people to join the local fundraising group, which organises community events and collections to help raise much-needed funds. The charity relies on donations to keep its vital services running, and has suffered from the impact of Covid-19 putting a dent in much of its face-to-face activity over the past two years.
The Frome group needs a volunteer coordinator to help organise events and activities. Volunteering Coordinator at Guide Dogs, Pat Janecka, says, “Volunteering has so many benefits to your local community and the people you are helping, but also to yourself as a volunteer.
“Being a volunteer is so rewarding; you gain new skills, knowledge and experience, get to know other people, make new friends and it has even been proven to improve your health and wellbeing.
“Our fundraising groups are very friendly and welcoming and a great way to meet local people and make a positive difference to the lives of people who are blind or partially sighted.”
There are around 24,000 people living with sight loss in Somerset. While they are not all registered blind, their visual impairment is significant enough to impact on their daily lives.
Guide Dogs provides a range of services from the iconic guide dog service, support for children and young people, and sighted guides to help people get out and about more.
Full training and support for volunteers is provided.
For more information and to apply, please follow this link and type in your postcode: www.guidedogs. org.uk/volunteer
