Our Banbury & District Samaritans Outreach Team have recruited several more members and are busy filling their diaries with events, talks and a host of other awareness raising activities.
They started by having a stand at Banbury and Bicester College Freshers Fair on 11th September where they met students and staff for an informative day in a relaxed setting. The weather held and they were able to gather in the College grounds where chatting and laughter were the order of the day.
Next came a talk to the North Oxfordshire Counselling Group who were extremely interested to find out more about what Samaritans do and equally important - what we don't do. Whilst being expereinced professionals in their own field they were very open to learning how Samaritans listening volunteers are trained and work.
And finally, on 22nd September we attended the Matt McGuinness "We are what we overcome" show at the Mill Arts Centre, Banbury. Matt's show consists of music and comedy but he also talks very candidly about his own mental health problems. He is a passionate advocate for Samaritans and the local Samaritans branch is always invited to his shows to raise funds for their branches. This was a great night out and our team laughed, bopped and were also moved by the whole event.
Thank you to everyone for their support and the invites - next up is Banbury Canal Festival on 30th September and 1st October.
