Joanna Jones, 32 from Lisburn has been a volunteer with Guide Dogs for over four years ever since she completed a tandem sky dive for the charity and wanted to get more involved.

Joanna said, "I was the organiser of the largest fundraising branch in Northern Ireland, which was also the second most successful branch in the UK last year. I booked collection days and coordinated volunteers to attend them. I gave talks to schools and clubs and coordinated speakers for other talks in the province. I helped organise sponsored events such as a Blind Drive, sponsored walk etc. The local calendar featuring local Guide Dogs was my idea and I organised the locations, dogs and publicity for it. I attended collection days and sold merchandise at agricultural shows, I sold Christmas cards in hospitals and did pretty much anything to raise the profile of the charity. Guide Dogs is funded totally on voluntary donations, and the difference a Guide Dog has made to me is priceless! I volunteer every day and at one point was putting in 60 to 70 hours a week!

I enjoy the fact that no two weeks are the same and I get to meet and talk to lots of people. The highlight of my volunteering to date has been raising around £57,500 last year, as well as seeing new branches take on their own events and become more confident in their own abilities.

I would advise anyone thinking of volunteering to come along to an event and see what we do, there are many different things you could do to help us, it's not all out there on the front line, there are many roles behind the scenes if you are a bit shy!"

For more information on volunteering with Guide Dogs contact Lindsay on 0845 371 7771.