Lisa Finnikin's story

Why did you choose to volunteer with us?

“I like the fact that RNIB sees each blind and partially sighted person as an individual and works together with them.”

How long have you been volunteering with us?

“I’ve been with RNIB for 4 years since the start of the Looking Forward project.  I work as a professional counsellor and also volunteer as a counsellor for another charity.”

What does your role involve?

“In my role as a counsellor with the RNIB I provide counselling support to older people – 60 plus whose lives are affected by sight loss. I listen to clients’ feelings, thoughts, and fears around their sight loss journey and the practical challenges they can face.”

What do you enjoy most about your role?

“I feel passionately that counselling should be available to everybody, I’m privileged that through my work with the RNIB, I am able to offer support to a client group who are often unable to access mainstream counselling services.”

How do you feel your volunteering role has made a difference?

“I feel that by offering clients a safe and confidential space to talk about their problems and feelings they can begin to find new ways of coping.”

What do you feel you have gained from volunteering with us?

“I’ve gained an understanding of what it’s like to be blind and partially sighted in a sighted world, to appreciate the challenges and difficulties people face living in a sighted world.”