Who are Samaritan volunteers? 

Samaritan volunteers are ordinary people who come from all walks of life.  You have probably travelled with a Samaritan on the train or queued next to one in the supermarket. You may even work with someone who is a Samaritan.  You do not need any special qualifications to be a Samaritan and we welcome people of all ages over 18 to consider joining our team. What makes Samaritan volunteers special is their discretion, reliability, open-mindedness, tolerance and patience.

To read more about some Samaritan volunteers please click here.

Commitment

They are able to make a commitment to spend three or four hours of their time each week supporting those who are enduring a personal crisis.

Could you be a Samaritan?

To help you consider whether you could be a listening volunteer try this simple test.

1. George is 75, and in constant pain from cancer. Would it be right for him to take an overdose?
2. Paul is in his late twenties and has just discovered that he is HIV-positive. He is afraid that his partner will leave him if he finds out. Should he tell him?
3. Mary is 50. Her husband is an alcoholic and last night he beat her. Should she leave him?
4. Sarah is 15 and pregnant. Her parents wish her to have an abortion. Should she agree to this?

Hard to decide? That's fine since as Samaritans we don't make decisions or advise people - we listen to their concerns without showing prejudice. So if you can listen to people talking about their lives without making judgements then you have at least one of the qualities that we are looking for in a Samaritan Volunteer!

Of course, real life isn't that simple and the little test above, whilst it demonstrates one aspect of our philosophy, is not sufficient to answer the question "Could you be a Samaritan?".

Please review the other material on our web site and on the national Samaritans website and if you think you could be a Samaritan volunteer you can find out more by attending one of our information sessions.