Mrs Jamieson and Rachel Kirkpatrick
Margaret Jamieson, 80, lost her confidence after she was diagnosed with sight loss and was wary of venturing out without her family.
Steps outside her bottom floor flat and the need to use a walking frame also meant she was unable to leave her house without assistance.
She soon became dependent on her family and isolated from the community.
But two years ago all that changed when Mrs Jamieson heard about the Out and AbouT project run locally by the Visibility charity.
She was paired up with volunteer Rachel Kirkpatrick and it has given her a new lease of life.
Rachel supports Mrs Jamieson every fortnight and helps her with her walking frame, carries bags of shopping and accompanies her on days out. They enjoy going out to have a coffee at the local garden centre, to the shops and to various appointments.
Getting out again has really helped Mrs Jamieson’s confidence and increased her independence and she said: “The service is excellent. I wasn’t able to get out at all before I was matched up with Rachel. She’s such good company, and just having someone to get out with so we can have a bite to eat and a chat is great.
“I would definitely suggest contacting Visibility’s Out and About service to anyone who wants to get out more.”
Visibility is looking for more volunteers to assist with the project across Nithsdale, Annandale and Eskdale.
They need people who can give a couple of hours a week to give people with sight and hearing loss the support to get out and about locally.
To find out more, contact volunteer support worker Allison McCourt on 01387 267131, text 07508 685262 or email [email protected]
