Barnstaple

The North Devon and North Cornwall Samaritans are based in Barnstaple and our dedicated volunteers come from the catchment area that stretches from Camelford in North Cornwall to Lynton and Lynmouth in North Devon and we have over 90 local people providing their valuable time and expertise.

They work tirelessly to provide emotional support and a listening ear, in addition they keep the branch running with many duties ranging from fundraising, admin, support, training, and outreach etc.

During 2023 our volunteers were able to support telephone calls from 15602 people, we also provided talks for community groups, schools and colleges and other organisations interested in our work.

In 2023 we finally raised £145000 to fully modernise our building, which sadly had suffered a severe flood back in the August 2020 torrential storms. The newly refurbished centre was formally opened by in February 2023 by Samaritans honorary president Felicity Varah Harding OBE.

I want to thank our team of wonderful volunteers for what they delivered in 2023 and all the work to get the new centre open. They have all done and continue to do an amazing job. They have enabled the branch to remain fully open all year and have coped with numerous challenges throughout the and I continue to be amazed at their hard work and resilience .

Here in our lovely North Cornwall and North Devon branch we will always strive to provide that much needed emotional support and be there for our callers when they need us.

Rob Leighfield - Branch Director 2024

Volunteer with us

We really need more volunteers - can you spare some time to help us?

We are always looking for people to join our friendly volunteer team based in Barnstaple.

We urgently need more listening volunteers but your help could also be vital with admin, fundraising and supporting roles depending on people’s individual strengths and preferences. The link below explains in more detail what volunteering with Samaritans entails.

If you would like to take it further please follow the link below.

View our guide to volunteering at North Devon and North Cornwall Samaritans

Are you interested in becoming a friend of Barnstaple Samaritans?

We rely entirely on donations from the generous public, businesses and other organisations to sustain the running of our branch. It will cost over £70 a day (£26,000 a year) to keep us up and running or to look at it another way nearly £2 per contact that we deal with.

We are really keen to increase our dedicated group of supporters; ‘Friends of Barnstaple Samaritans’. As one of our “Friends,” you become a vital part of our team and your relatively small monthly donation will free our volunteers to spend more of their precious time supporting our callers.

For as little as £5 a month, we will be able to cover the cost of running our branch for a day each year so we would be delighted if you would join us as a friend by setting up a monthly donation of your choice, every penny of which will go straight to the running of our branch. Please set up a regular monthly contribution here.

As a Friend and with your consent, we would keep you updated annually with news of what has been happening in our branch and also invite you to our Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Alternatively, if you would like to fundraise with an event and donate the proceeds to our branch, visit our Enthuse page here.

You can of course email our local branch on [email protected] to discuss corporate sponsorship, financial support or a fundraising event.

Leaving a legacy to North Devon and North Cornwall Samaritans

Leaving a gift to North Devon and North Cornwall Samaritans in your Will could save a person’s life.

Hear why Samaritans volunteer Bob and his wife choose to include a gift to Samaritans in their Will.

The Guide to leaving a gift in your will to North Devon and North Cornwall Samaritans helps explain the steps you need to take. The specific wording for our branch is ”I give to North Devon and North Cornwall Samaritans, registered charity in England and Wales (1174414) of 2 Summerland Street, Barnstaple, EX32 8JJ.” Thank you for your continued support.

Partnership work within our local community

We have set up a referral service which you can use for your clients if you are a professional working in primary healthcare, the NHS Crisis Resolution Team, local authority support services, a Citizens Advisor, a counsellor with TalkWorks or any supporting voluntary sector. With your client’s permission, we can call them to offer a listening ear and emotional support at a time that suits them. The attached Working in partnership will explain how the support works in more detail.

Text to donate

Text NDNC to 70085 to donate £5

Texts cost £5 plus one standard rate message

Our lottery

Please support our branch funds by buying a North Devon community lottery ticket

Buy a lottery ticket

Follow us on Twitter

We would love you to follow us on our Twitter page @barnstaplesams

Our privacy statement

At Samaritans, privacy is at the heart of what we do. We are committed to protecting your privacy and the personal information that we hold. Read our privacy statement here.