Macular Society Northern Ireland

Our regions
You can access a variety of Macular Society support and services across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
We are proud to have 25 staff based around the UK to give you localised support; including regional managers, peer support coordinators and a groups admin team based at our head office in Andover.
The regional teams play a very varied role, which includes:
- Overseeing over 335 face-to-face and online peer support groups to help you better understand your condition and grow your confidence. These groups are also a great opportunity to make friends and connect with people who understand living with sight loss. To find out more, go to About our support groups - Macular Society or to search for your local group visit Local support groups - Macular Society.
- Providing helpful information and advice about living with macular disease.
- Managing, recruiting and supporting a large team of volunteers.
- Networking and influencing local, regional and national bodies and attending local and regional sight loss events.
- Working closely with sight loss organisations within their region.
Contact details for our regional services' team in England can be found below.
Regional patient information events
The teams also develop and run regional patient information events. These run in partnership with local eye clinics and bring together patients and local clinic professionals.
You can access these events either face to face, online using Zoom, or via teleconference. They can be a good opportunity to ask questions to clinicians, ECLOs, nurses or ROVIs.
These events may cover topics such as:
- What can I do to prepare for my injection?
- Should I be taking supplements to slow my age-related macular degeneration?
- Will stem cell therapy repair my vision?
- How will clinics keep me safe during a pandemic?
- What local support is available to help me adapt to my sight loss?
The regional services team run various events across their local area. To find out what is happening in your area, please contact our Groups Admin team on 01264 560 259.
Details for our team in England
Head of regions - Maria van de Vorst
maria.vorst@macularsociety.org
Tel: 07884 742 517
England (South)
Stella Black – Senior Regional Manager for the South
Sue Drew - Regional Manager for Central East
Tash Knopf – Regional Manager for all London Boroughs
Tyler Phillips - Regional Manager for South Central
Jo Fishwick - Regional Manager South West
Katie Lloyd - Peer Support Coordinator South
England (North)
Amanda Read – Senior Regional Manager for the North
Paul Holden - Regional Manager for Central Midlands
Carl Harrison - Regional Manager for the North West
Vicky Thompson – Regional Manager for Yorkshire & North East Lincolnshire
Lucinda Hardy - Peer Support Coordinator for the North/ Maternity Cover for Regional Manager for the North East
Groups Admin team - Based in our Head Office in Andover, Hampshire
Angela Jackson – Office & Regional Administration Manager
Charlotte Fogerty - Regional Administration Supervisor
Kerry Wileman - Groups Coordinator
Melinda Boardman – Regional Administrator
Olivia Gray - Regional Administrator
Tel: 01264 560 259
groupsadmin@macularsociety.org
For details of the teams in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, please see the relevant pages.

Support for you
We provide free information and support to those with macular disease, along with their family and friends, to help people keep their independence.

Find your local support group
Our local support groups are for people of working age and older, and provide information, support and friendship to people with macular disease and sight loss.