Meet Elizabeth, Glaucoma UK Development Manager for Northern England

For Small Charity Week, we’re shining a light on some of the unsung heroes of Glaucoma UK.

As the country’s only dedicated glaucoma charity, we provide support across the length of the UK. We couldn’t do it without a tight-knit team of dedicated individuals who are passionate about glaucoma care and ending preventable sight loss.

In this short series, we introduce you to our four regional Development Managers who work closely with organisations and professionals in their area to ensure people with glaucoma get the information and advice they need.

Today’s article focuses on Elizabeth Ball, Development Manager for Northern England.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m Liz, Glaucoma UK’s Development Manager for Northern England. Outside of work, I enjoy outdoor activities like walking and canoeing. But there’s nothing I enjoy more than sitting with a good braille book, or ebook and refreshable braille display. I especially enjoy science fiction that lets me escape from this world to a completely different one.

What did you do before your role at Glaucoma UK?

I’ve had a varied career. My last job was as membership manager at AGCAS (the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services). Before that, I’ve had jobs supporting young people, doing research, and public policy campaigning. The job I had for longest was at Sense, supporting deafblind people and their allies to campaign on issues like social care, health, social security and employment.

What motivated you to join the charity?

The common theme running throughout my career has been empowering people and trying to change the world for the better. I wanted to join Glaucoma UK to empower people to manage glaucoma and to get the right support and opportunities. I’ve worked for both large and small organisations and really like working for small ones where it feels like everyone’s work matters to everyone else.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The best thing about my job is the variety. It’s a bit of everything: organising and talking at glaucoma support groups, reaching out to tell people about how we can help, writing articles and information, projects to improve our services and more.

You can support the sight-saving work of Elizabeth and the rest of the team by donating here.