Summary of volunteer information sessions: December regional changes

Last updated: Dec 2025

Thank you to everyone who joined the two volunteer information sessions on 25 and 26 November. We know this has been a very difficult period and are grateful to all who took the time to share their views, questions and concerns. 

The sessions were led by: 

• Ed Holloway, CEO 
• Jessica Kirby, Director of services
• Maria van de Vorst, Head of community networks 

Other staff in attendance: 

• Lucinda Hardy, Volunteer and group support manager
• Charlotte Fogerty, Volunteer and group support officer 

Trustees in attendance: 

• Cecilia Bufton, Chair of trustees
• Louise Perry
• Amanda Rowland
• Alison Guthrie

Purpose of the sessions

Both meetings aimed to:

• Explain the outcome of the staff consultation and the final community networks structure
• Outline what this means for volunteers and local groups
• Answer questions and listen to concerns.

Share next steps and how we will keep volunteers involved.

1. Outcome of the consultation and new structure 

During the consultation, the Society received extensive feedback from volunteers, staff, and people affected by macular disease. Key themes included:

• Concern about maintaining support for local groups
• Worries about capacity and losing personal relationships with regional managers
• Anxiety about practical issues such as speakers, finance, venues and succession planning. 

In response, the final structure has been adjusted to:

• Strengthen the central volunteer and group support team. Increase capacity in England by adding an extra community engagement manager, plus a fixed-term community engagement manager post for London. 
• Retain a dedicated community engagement manager for each of the four UK nations.
• Create a community development manager role to focus on the future of peer support and co-design with volunteers.

The community networks team will now consist of three closely connected parts:

Community engagement

One community engagement manager for each UK nation (Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) and additional posts in England (North, South and London fixed term) and a senior community engagement manager with a UK-wide oversight role based in NI. 
 
These roles will focus on strategic work with hospitals, eye clinics, local NHS organisations, devolved governments and partner charities. 
 
They will also maintain links with groups and volunteers across their areas, though with less frequent in-person contact than regional managers previously provided. 

Volunteer and group support

A larger central team of six roles, including a volunteer and group support manager, officers and administrators, plus a volunteer recruitment role and a volunteer communication and learning officer (to be recruited).

This team will be the first point of contact for day-to-day group and volunteer queries: member lists, venues, speakers, general administration, recruitment, onboarding, communication and training.

Community development

A community development manager will focus on developing and reviewing peer support models, policies and guidance, and supporting any groups that want to explore different ways of running in future.

There is no requirement for groups to change their operating model. Change will be by choice, not imposed.

Twelve staff who were at risk of redundancy have been appointed to roles in the new structure. Some posts, including community engagement managers for Wales and the North of England, the maternity cover for the senior community engagement manager NI and the volunteer communication and learning officer will be recruited shortly.

2. What this means for volunteers and groups - key points that were reinforced across both sessions 

Local groups remain core

Local support groups are still a central part of the Society’s services. The charity remains committed to peer support and to keeping groups going wherever possible.

Support will be more team-based

Instead of relying on a single regional manager, volunteers will have a team behind them. Day-to-day practical support will usually come from the volunteer and group support team via phone and email.

Community engagement managers will still connect with groups, but less intensively and over larger geographical areas.

Face-to-face versus digital

The Society is not planning to become a digital-only organisation. The intention is to support people in different ways: face-to-face groups, telephone services (such as the helpline), printed materials and online channels where appropriate.

Some meetings with partners and hospitals will be virtual to avoid long travel, but there will still be face-to-face contact where it adds the most value.

Friendship groups

The “Friendship Group” model and terminology are not being taken forward. Any future changes to group models will be developed with volunteers and members, not imposed on them.

Lived experience and local knowledge

Volunteers raised strong concerns about losing local knowledge when regional managers leave.

The Society has gathered and stored handover notes, spreadsheets and database information to capture as much of this knowledge as possible. 

Community engagement managers will be based in the nations and regions they serve, not in Andover, and will be expected to understand local services and networks. The Society acknowledged that recent disruption has affected relationships and presence at some events, and committed to rebuilding this as the new team settles in.

3. Practical support: finance, venues, speakers and safeguarding 

Finance and banking

The group's finance coordinator function now sits fully within the finance team. New processes for cash banking and group returns are under development.

Volunteers who raised urgent queries about banking and balances were assured that the Society is looking at individual situations and will work one-to-one with any group that has specific needs or concerns.

The Society recognises that volunteers should not be left holding large amounts of cash and that this needs clearer guidance.

Venues, risk assessments and insurance

Groups will continue to be covered by the Society’s public liability insurance. Certificates are being issued and can be sent to groups that need them for venue bookings.

Risk assessments will usually be completed with support from the volunteer and group support team over the phone or via email only and, where possible, using the venue’s own risk assessment documentation.

Volunteers who cannot carry out written assessments themselves because of sight loss will be supported over the phone. In higher-risk or complex situations, community engagement managers may also be involved. 

Speakers and meeting content

Regional managers previously helped arrange speakers; this will now be supported centrally.

The community engagement managers team can help suggest speakers, provide guides and information. The volunteer and group support team can also provide fact sheets to help support groups develop a successful speaker programme.

The Society plans to build further a library of session plans and content (including video-based sessions) that groups can use when speakers are not available.

Safeguarding and data protection

There is no change in how safeguarding concerns should be reported. Volunteers should continue to report issues directly to the Society in line with the Safeguarding Policy.

Training in safeguarding and data protection will continue to be available for volunteers.

4. Recruitment, training and succession

Volunteer recruitment is recognised as a major challenge nationally, not just for the Macular Society. A dedicated volunteer recruitment officer role has been created to focus on finding new volunteers, including beyond existing group membership. The Society will continue to use local volunteer centres and explore newer platforms and approaches to reach potential volunteers.

Training and induction

A comprehensive training and learning programme for volunteers will be developed by the volunteer communication and learning officer once in post.

This will include:

• Welcome and induction sessions for new group volunteers
• Role-specific training (for example, group leaders and befrienders)
• Topics such as signposting, managing meetings, group administration and safety.

Volunteers asked for more face-to-face training. The Society confirmed that future training and networking will predominantly be online. However, there will be an annual in-person volunteer network event in each nation (with two in England) where possible. 

Succession planning

Some volunteers raised concerns about what would happen if a group leader became unwell or needed to step down. The Society confirmed it does not expect outgoing volunteers to find their own replacements. Staff will work with groups to explore options, identify potential new leaders and, where necessary, consider alternative ways of providing support.

5. Group closures, membership and long-term vision

Group numbers and closures

Volunteers reported large numbers of groups closing. 
The Society said it does not recognise the higher figures that have been mentioned informally. However, it acknowledged that there has been a gradual decline in the number of groups since COVID and that some groups have struggled with reduced support in recent months.

Membership

As a broad indication, the Society currently has around 16,000 members. Roughly half are registered as group members, and an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 people regularly attend groups, based on group returns.

Long-term aim

The long-term aim is to stabilise and then grow peer support, not to reduce it. Leadership believes that a more transparent, more focused structure, combined with better recruitment and training, will support more sustainable groups in the future.

6. Relationships with local partners and events

Several volunteers raised concerns about:

• Reduced presence at local sight loss events and exhibitions
• The loss of long-standing relationships with local sight loss organisations, hospitals and eye clinics. 

The Society replied that maintaining and rebuilding these relationships is a core part of the community engagement managers’ role. Some meetings will be online, but in-person attendance at key local events will remain important. Recent gaps in attendance reflect staffing disruption rather than a permanent shift away from local engagement.

7. Volunteer forum and peer learning

A new volunteer forum is being developed to provide a structured way for volunteers to give feedback and help shape volunteer support. The aim is to share learning between group leaders and volunteers from different areas. 
 
The Terms of Reference for the forum have been drafted and will be shared. Volunteers will be invited to express interest in taking part, and there will also be other opportunities such as drop-ins and networking events, to share ideas and good practice.

8. Trust, change and next steps

Several volunteers expressed strong concerns about:

• The impact of staff departures on reputation and trust and loss of knowledge and relationships.
• Fears that volunteers are being asked to take on more without enough support. 

In response, leadership acknowledged that this has been a very challenging period and that recent months have not reflected how the new structure is intended to operate once fully in place. They 
reiterated that decisions were made to ensure the long-term sustainability of the charity and to protect core services under financial pressure.

The Society confirmed that volunteer feedback is being taken seriously and will continue to shape how the new structure is implemented.

Next steps

The new community engagement team is live from 8 December.

• Ongoing recruitment into remaining vacant roles.
• Rolling programme of regular online drop-ins and Q&A sessions with the new team. 
• Sharing precise contact details and updates FAQs with all volunteers.
• Annual in-person networking events in each nation, and two in England, as resources allow. 
• Continued review of how the new structure is working, with adjustments where needed.

Recording from information session 1: 25 November 2025

Recording from information session 2: 26 November 2025

Closing message

Across both sessions, leadership repeatedly thanked volunteers for their honesty, patience and dedication. They emphasised that: 

• Volunteers and local groups remain at the heart of the Society’s peer support services.
• The organisation is committed to rebuilding confidence and support as the new team beds in.
• Two-way communication with volunteers will continue through newsletters, emails, drop-ins and future open meetings like these. 

Thank you to everyone who took the time to attend our recent volunteer Zoom sessions and to those who shared questions and feedback.

As we have previously mentioned, we know this has been a period of significant change, and we really value your engagement, honesty and continued commitment to supporting people affected by macular disease.

We’re looking forward to holding more online discussions and information sessions throughout 2026, giving further opportunities to stay connected, ask questions and shape how we work together.