Tower and Town, August 2017 (view the full edition)Volunteering With SamaritansAlong with the first human heart transplant and the launch of 'Sgt Pepper', 1967 saw Swindon & District Samaritans take its first phone calls. Throughout the last 50 years we have offered confidential emotional support to anyone struggling to cope, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, by phone, email, letter, text or face to face. We are appealing now for your help, please. In this special year, we are looking for people to join us either as volunteers offering emotional support or in a variety of other roles. There are 130 volunteers based in the branch at 6 Curtis Street, Swindon, the majority providing emotional support. Listening volunteers come from all walks of life. People can talk to Samaritans at any time and in their own way about whatever's getting to them. They don't have to be suicidal. Recently-trained Swindon and District volunteer Fiona Cowlam said: "The training is very thorough: you need to support people at a very vulnerable time in their lives and you need to protect your own mental health whilst doing so. Coupled with the branch mentoring scheme, which allows you to 'train on the job' with an experienced volunteer, I felt I had all I needed to start taking calls on my own." Together with the Salisbury branch, Swindon and District volunteers also help to run the Prison Listener scheme at Erlstoke prison near Devizes. They also provide outreach in schools, community groups and Job Centres and provide support to the Mental Health Liaison Team where people leaving their care welcome additional support from Samaritans. Find out more: come along to one of the following Information Events at 6 Curtis Street in Swindon: Tuesday 8 August: 19-21:00 Please book: email swindon@samaritans.org, phone 01793 512490 or call into the Samaritans shop at 6 Curtis Street in Swindon. Maggie Gill |