Babs Protheroe is an invaluable volunteer and spokesperson for the RNIB Cymru Group, and she has been recognised for her great work by winning Wales Volunteer of the Year 2011.
After recognising a desperate need for support, Barbara, aged 60, set up a Sensory Impairment Drop-in Scheme (SIDS) in Rhydfelin, which has been running for five years and has more than 20 members.
One of her many roles with the RNIB is organising a Talk and Support conference across the UK, and she also helps shape policy on provision for the blind and visually-impaired. Babs also supports CVV in developing new groups and services across Rhondda Cynon Taf.
The mother-of-three has been involved in Girl Guides for 30 years and recently set up and is helping to run a Brownie pack in Rhydfelin, as well as volunteering with the Valley Kids' telephone counselling service for teens. She is also a member of the Rhydfelin Community Centre Committee and Rhydfelin Partnership.
"I don't do what I do for glory or thanks - I just do what needs to be done. For me, volunteering means I can reach people who are perhaps isolated or feeling down and I can make a difference to their lives. As I've lived with sight loss all my life, I know what people are going through; and if I can make a difference to just a handful of people, it means that there are fewer blind or partially sighted people feeling they're on their own."
Babs also recently won an Exceptional Woman award from Rhondda Cynon Taf Council's Equality, Diversity and Social Justice team.