PEOPLE in the South East who volunteer say it makes them feel happier (65 per cent) and helps them contribute to their local community (70 per cent).

These are the findings of new research about volunteering by sight loss charity Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

The survey also found that 57 per cent of respondents in the region who do not volunteer said they want to in the future, with nearly a quarter most keen to share their technology skills.

The research was commissioned to mark the start of RNIB’s initiative to recruit more volunteers for its Online Today project to help 125,000 people with sensory loss across the UK get online.

The RNIB is appealing to people to commit a few hours a month to visit blind and partially sighted people in their own homes and help them develop digital skills like browsing the internet, sending emails, and using an e-reader.

RNIB head of volunteering Karen Froggatt said: “It’s fantastic people in the south east are so keen to volunteer.

“It proves that volunteering and giving back to your community really is good for the soul. This is why we want even more enthusiastic and committed people in the south east to become digital skills support volunteers.

“Spending a few hours a month helping a person with sight loss to develop the online skills many of us take for granted can transform that person’s life, and boost their independence.”

There are more than 271,000 people with sight loss in the south east, many of whom would benefit from being supported by volunteers to learn online skills.

For more information about volunteering for Online Today see www.rnib.org.uk/onlinevolunteer