DUE to an upsurge in calls to their helpline, the Limerick/ Tipperary branch of The Samaritans are holding an open day for volunteers at their Barrington Street base this Saturday, January 18 at 2pm.
Currently, the local branch of the Samaritans has 112 active volunteers. Samaritans Ireland — the longest-serving national organisation working in the area of emotional support and suicide prevention — dealt with 411,973 contacts nationwide from people experiencing feelings of distress or despair in 2013.
Callers supported by Samaritans’ helpline benefited from 56,827 hours of listening time by the service’s volunteers in the last 12 months. The issues of most concern to callers in 2013 related to family and relationship problems; depression and mental health issues; loneliness, stress and anxiety.
Executive director of Samaritans Ireland, Catherine Brogan commented: “With many of these issues, having the opportunity to talk them through with a trained listener offers huge relief. Where Samaritans feels a person could benefit from a greater intervention, we signpost them to alternative services so that they can access the support they need.”
A volunteer-led organisation, the Samaritans provides confidential, non-judgemental emotional support, 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. An open day will now take place in the city this weekend in the hope to increase the number of volunteers at the Limerick/ Tipperary branch of the Samaritans.
“Due to an upsurge in calls to our telephone lines, it is important to maintain and increase the volunteers we have. Volunteers are the cornerstone of our service, delivering the core support service, running the branch, raising vital funds and raising awareness about the work we do,” said Victor McSweeney of Samaritans Limerick/ Tipperary branch.
Every Samaritans volunteer spends 15 hours on average a month as a listener, having undergone a rigorous programme of initial and ongoing training.
“Our volunteers are ordinary people who provide a safe place for our callers to explore their feelings, in a non-judgemental and confidential setting. The open day gives a flavour of what it is to be a Samaritan volunteer and explains to members of the public what we do and how we do it, finishing off with a questions and answers session,” Victor explained.
Anyone interested in becoming a Samaritan volunteer can attend the open day at The Samaritans Limerick/ Tipperary branch at 20 Barrington Street this Saturday, January 18 at 2pm.
