'LOVE IN LOCKDOWN' EPISODE 2: 'SAMARITANS & LESLEY HASTINGS'

'WHATEVER YOU'RE GOING THROUGH, CALL US ANYTIME FOR FREE. WE'RE HERE TO LISTEN'

BOTH IN AND OUT OF LOCKDOWN, SAMARITANS ARE COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING AND HELPING THOSE IN NEED.

'Samaritans' is a registered charity aimed at providing confidential support to anyone in need, distress, struggling to cope, needs someone to listen without pressure or judgement, or for anyone at risk of suicide throughout United Kingdom and Ireland. Although their support was available prior to Covid19, due to both lockdown and the challenges the virus has raised, their demand has increased and the constant support that the volunteers and charity offer is to be both recognised and praised. They are there to talk anytime, to support mental health, loneliness and difficulties in isolation.

Although not a religious organisation, the charity was founded by a vicar named Chad Varah in London in 1953. As a vicar he offered counselling to his parishioners, but wanted to do something more specific to help those contemplating suicide after a 14 year old girl killed herself fearing she'd contracted an STD. She was in fact menstruating. It began as a helpline. Advertised in the Daily Mirror a month after launching, 'Telephone Good Samaritan', word began to spread, calls increased and many wanted to volunteer and help out. By February 1954, Chad officially handed over the task of supporting callers to volunteers. Samaritans then became what we know it as today, and has continued to grow its centres and locations since.

At present, Samaritans has over 20,000 volunteers across 201 branches across the UK and Ireland. They run a 24 hour listening service for free on '116 123', and respond to calls every seven seconds. They've expanded from just telephone to text, email and face to face, working in schools, health and care, workplace, prisons, festival branches, military and aired forces, hospitals and communities, as well as having a partnership with Network Rail to support the reduction of suicide on railways. Sometimes it can be difficult to talk, which is why as well as the helpline, there are others ways to receive support and write thoughts down instead.

METHODS OF SUPPORT?

- 24 Hour Helpline: 116 123
- Email: jo@samaritans.org (Response time of 24 hours)
- Letter: Chris, Freepost RSRB-KKBY-CYJK, PO Box 9090, STIRLING FK8 2SA (7 day response)
- Find a branch near you: https://www.samaritans.org/branches/ (Enter your postcode)
- Self Help App: https://selfhelp.samaritans.org/ (Track feelings and moods, recommendations, coping techniques, safety plans, and activities.)

HOW TO HELP OUT?

- Donate, Fundraise, Volunteer, Purchase from the online shop, business partnerships or leave a gift in your will. 
Donations can help Samaritans answer more calls, recruit and train more volunteers.

IN CONVERSATION WITH 'LESLEY HASTINGS':

'If you know someone who is struggling, then just listening to can help. If you are that person struggling, then please speak to someone, don't suffer in silence'.

Lesley is an experienced volunteer with the charity 'Samaritans' and gives insight into her experience with the organisation.

'I’d always been aware of the Samaritans and what their purpose was, but I hadn’t given any thought about whether I could be one, until a colleague asked if I was interested in volunteering', she admits.

'There are several things I loved about being a SAM. The opportunity to help people in distress, facing challenges in their lives or lonely and just want a chat. The invaluable training and sense of family, camaraderie and belonging.' 'You’d expect us all to be a bit po faced, but we’re not. You need a sense of humour to be a SAM and in between calls/emails/texts etc. We chatted, laughed, drunk loads of coffee and raided the biscuit tin', she smiles.

'I once picked up a call from someone who was in a street, didn’t know where they were, and indicated they wanted to die. After a long call I got to why they felt that way, what had triggered the distress and eventually helped them work out where they were. They allowed me to get my partner to call a friend to come and get them, and I stayed on the line until they were picked up and we said goodbye. I hung up, took some deep breaths and headed for the coffee and biscuit tin', she recalls.

'I also had a call where after an hour, they admitted they had made the whole story up', she declares. 'My initial reaction was to be cross about the waste of time, but something stopped me, and I asked why they felt the need to spin such a tale. We ended up discussing how lonely they were, and that I was the only person who had wanted to continue a call after the discovery of the hoax'.

'You learn in training to be non-judgemental, ask open questions, to listen actively and refrain from giving opinions/advice. You gain a new understanding of the issues surrounding social issues, poor mental health, poverty, life, the world, the universe - basically humanity and all its frailties', she says.

'The training commitment is 1 day a week over a 6-8 week period before you're allocated with a regular shift. In my branch it was 4 hours every 2 weeks plus a half night shift every month. They always try to accommodate your work/life schedules and fit your regular shifts to suit you.'

'I’d encourage anyone who is interested to have a look at their website, give them a call and go along to the induction day to find out more. They need people from all walks of life to be able to help people from all walks of life. All that’s required is an open mind', she claims.

'No doubt SAMs will have seen an increase in contacts over the last 8 months and I feel this will increase as the impacts of COVID continue to be felt. All I can say is - if you know someone who is struggling and have the resilience yourself, then just listening to them can help. If you are that person struggling, then please speak to someone, whether it be a friend or the SAMs – they are available 24/7, 365 days of the year (366 in a leap year).  Please don’t suffer in silence.'

WEBSITE: https://www.samaritans.org/