PRESS RELEASE

23 December 2009

Cheltenham Samaritans will be offering emotional support on Christmas Day.

Samaritans volunteers will be offering an understanding ear to people in crisis this Christmas.

When most of us are opening presents or preparing the Christmas lunch, volunteers will be heading to the Samaritans' Cheltenham office, in Back Albert Place, to spend the morning manning the phone and meeting any ‘face to face’ callers who visit the branch.

'At Christmas the emphasis is all about families getting together but it can be an incredibly lonely time for some people,' said a 58 year old volunteer, from Winchcombe, who regularly chooses to sign up for  one of the Samaritans' Christmas Day shifts.

'I don't have money to give to charity, but time is something I do have and if I can do something to help others at Christmas I will. I started volunteering for the Samaritans just over two years ago and since then I have become very committed to supporting people who are experiencing emotional stress.
'It was quite daunting initially. You have no idea who will be on the other end of the phone and what upsets they are going through. It can be anything, people who have lost someone, split up with someone, are ill or it can be a snowball effect and things build up and people get overwhelmed. Every shift is different and each caller needs a different response to enable them to talk about their worries, with someone who is prepared to really listen.’

He went on to say, ''At Samaritans we don't give advice or judge people. We're a listening service and are there to support people in a time of need. The service is completely confidential, so one  rarely knows what becomes of  the callers – but some people do contact us later to express their gratitude for helping them through a very difficult stage in their life’.

The Director of Cheltenham Samaritans, Lindsey Crane, said:

‘Christmas is the time of year when most people are immersed in parties with family, friends and colleagues, but for some it can be an emotionally challenging period which triggers feelings of intense loneliness and isolation.

For those who have lost someone close, for the elderly living alone and for people living far away from their own families, including those working in Cheltenham from abroad, Christmas can be bleak. It can also be a testing time of year for those with large families who feel the financial burden of the festive season and the pressure of having to entertain lots of people.’

For 24 hour support you may contact Samaritans in five ways:

Telephone: 01242 515 777 or 08457 90 90 90

Email: jo@samaritans.org

Write to: Chris, PO Box 9090, Stirling, FK8 2SA

Call in to: our branch in Back Albert Place.

For more information log on to: www.cheltenhamsamaritans.org

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Notes to editors
It is the aim of Samaritans to make emotional health a mainstream issue. Samaritans' vision is for a society where fewer people die by suicide because people are able to share feelings of emotional distress openly without fear of being judged. Samaritans believes that offering people the opportunity to be listened to in confidence, and accepted without prejudice, can alleviate despair and suicidal feelings.
Samaritans is a registered charity, founded in 1953, which offers 24-hour confidential emotional support to anyone in emotional distress. The service is offered by 16,800 trained volunteers and is entirely dependent on voluntary support. Across the UK, you can call Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 (1850 60 90 90 in the Republic of Ireland) email jo@samaritans.org, write to Samaritans at Chris, PO Box 9090, Stirling, FK8 2SA, or if you are deaf or hard of hearing use the single national minicom number 08457 90 91 92. Log on to www.samaritans.org for more information. Calls from BT will be charged at up to 4 pence per minute at all times. A call set-up fee of 3 pence per minute applies to calls
from residential lines. Mobile and other providers' charges may vary.
For further information about this press release or to learn more about Cheltenham Samaritans please contact the Publicity Officer, Cheltenham Samaritans, Victoria House, Back Albert Place, Cheltenham, GL52 2HN (Phone: 07777 683 448 or email: publicity@cheltenhamsamaritans.org)