Samaritans of Shrewsbury joined us back in July at the Live at Ludlow Castle and are delighted to confirm that they collected a total £2,010, kindly donated by concert-goers.
Samaritans of Shrewsbury is an independent local charity affiliated to the central charity; this means that they are responsible for raising all our own funds. The branch sustains the work of 89 local volunteers who give compassionate support to people in distress, despair and with suicidal feelings and actions.
Loren Reeve, Shrewsbury Branch Director said:
‘We are extremely appreciative to be given the opportunity to be present as audiences left each of the Concerts. It was a wonderful opportunity to remind everyone that we are available to give compassionate support during difficult times. We were also able to collect over £2,000 which is crucial to enabling us to do this very useful work. Thank you to the event teams at Ludlow Castle and Futuresound for giving us the opportunity to be there.’
Now more than ever, it is important for them to be there for people who need their help. Samaritans listening volunteers are doing all they can for those struggling to cope, night or day, 365 days a year. They actively try and help prevent people reaching crisis point and give support when life becomes very difficult; especially at night when there are no other support services to turn to. This continues to be a theme for many who call them; often people feel they have no-one with whom they can share their most troubled thoughts.
Nationally, Samaritans data shows:
- Every 90 minutes someone takes their own life
- 3 times more people die by suicide than traffic accidents
- Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 and young people aged 20-34
- Every 10 seconds someone places a call to Samaritans for help
- Suicidal feelings are expressed during 1 in 5 calls
- Self-harm was discussed in almost 1 in 12 calls
- 1 in 4 of those callers were trying to stop themselves self-harming
This is very much reflected in the experience at the Shrewsbury Branch, added to which, they have identified particular concerns specifically about younger and older people across the County of Shropshire.
The activity at Shrewsbury Branch and in local communities goes on at a busy pace. During 2022, in addition to handling around 8,200 telephone calls and 2,400 emails, they were involved in 109 community events and were able to reach around 13,500 people with their Outreach activity. In addition to giving talks to local groups and clubs Samaritans of Shrewsbury have Volunteers regularly present at Shrewsbury Railway Station and local Foodbanks.
You can find out more about thew work of Samaritans Shrewsbury and donate on their website. https://www.samaritans.org/branches/shrewsbury