We were pleased to welcome Alison Griffiths, MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, to our branch last Friday. She previously met a few of our volunteers during one of our collections at Tesco, where she helped us gather donations.
When visiting the branch, Alison had a much better opportunity to learn exactly how we operate. It was great to discuss our work with her in detail, and she was very interested in the hard work and dedication of our branch’s 90 volunteers.
She spoke with volunteers Paul, Heather, Liz, and Barbara about what it’s like to take calls from people who are struggling. We explained that Samaritans helps people by simply listening to them. By approaching every call with empathy, we provide a safe, non-judgmental space for people to express their emotions. We also discussed how we provide support not only to our callers but also to each other. Running the branch is a team effort, and all our work is possible because we all work together.
MP Alison Griffiths with volunteers Paul, Heather, and Liz.
We also discussed our branch’s current challenges. We talked about how we are always looking to recruit more listening volunteers, particularly for the night-time shifts, as this is the time when people often need us most. The more volunteers we have to answer the phones during these crucial shifts, the more callers we can help.
We also shared with Alison the formidable task we face each year: raising the £25,000 needed to run and maintain the branch, provide ongoing training to volunteers, and fund our outreach work. We spoke about the many fundraising events we organise to reach this goal.
It was wonderful to speak with Alison again, and we are lucky to have two local MPs who are so appreciative of the work we do to help the local community. We would like to thank her for her ongoing support of the branch, and we are looking forward to welcoming her again in the future.
If you would like to support the work of the Bognor Regis, Chichester and District Branch of Samaritans, please donate via our Donations page. And if you would like to become one of our listening volunteers, particularly during the night, we would love to hear from you. You can learn more about volunteering with Samaritans here.