Since the 1 June 1959, every single call that has been made to the Samaritans has been answered by a volunteer
Volunteers at a Scottish suicide prevention charity are marking 60 years supporting people in crisis and distress.
A volunteer at the newly opened Edinburgh Samaritans branch took the organisation’s first ever call for help outside of London on the morning of 1 June 1959.
The Edinburgh branch formed after Samaritans founder Chad Varah appealed to Scots to help expand his innovative new helpline; the first of its kind to provide confidential and non-judgemental emotional support to people in crisis or distress.
Edinburgh was soon joined by branches in Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Dundee - and there are now 19 branches in Scotland stretching from Selkirk to the Shetland Islands.
Over the last 60 years, every single one of the millions of calls, emails, texts and face to face visits to Samaritans has been responded to by a volunteer. Demand for this service has grown significantly over the decades. In its first year the Edinburgh branch received 550 calls for help. Last year, volunteers at the Edinburgh branch alone were contacted more than 45,000 times.
And across Scotland volunteers were contacted nearly a quarter of a million times - around once every two minutes - in 2018. Between them volunteers in Scotland spent more than 60,000 hours providing emotional support to people when they needed it most - the equivalent of 2,500 days of listening.
Eddie Carmichael, director of the Samaritans Edinburgh branch, said: “I’ve seen the power of listening, both as someone reaching out for help and now as a Samaritans volunteer. I contacted Samaritans at a difficult time and found that there was someone willing to listen without judging and give me the time and emotional space I needed. That encounter always felt pivotal for me in finding my own way out of that very dark time.
“Now I feel really privileged to volunteer with the same charity that supported me, particularly at this special milestone marking 60 years since our very first call. Just like 60 years ago, every call to Samaritans is answered by a volunteer and we’re always looking for new people to join us to keep up with demand. Together we can ensure that there is always someone to listen, today and in the decades to come.”
People contact the Samaritans for a wide range of reasons - some of the most common are loneliness and social isolation, worries about family and relationship breakdown and problems with physical and mental health.
Keith Walker, a volunteer with the Inverness branch, said: “My years as a volunteer have shown me just how powerful the act of listening can be - by taking the time to listen you can help someone who may otherwise feel completely alone, to find their own way through whatever it is they are struggling with and find a sense of happiness and peace. When someone finishes a call with ‘thanks for listening’ you know you’ve made a difference.”
James Jopling, executive director of Samaritans Scotland, said: “We’ve supported countless people through times of crisis and distress through our anonymous, confidential and non-judgemental service.
“It’s clear there is just as much a need for this service now as when we started 60 years ago. And we’re committed to being there for anyone who needs us today and in the decades to come. But to make that happen we need more volunteers to support our life-saving work.”
