The volunteers at Samaritans of South Devon are crucial to the service we’re able to offer. Without them the branch could not function and we wouldn’t be there to answer the thousands of calls we receive each year.
Unfortunately, the number of calls is often higher than the numbers of volunteers we have available. That’s why we’re always looking for more people to become Listeners, giving us the opportunity to support more callers and help reduce the number of suicides each year.
As well as listening to our callers being a volunteer for Samaritans offers a wide range of opportunities to expand your own skills – or acquire more. Our branch is led by our volunteers; they manage the day-to-day running of the charity, which includes leadership, fundraising, partnerships, publicity, prisons and schools, as well as doing listening duties.
There are also non-listening roles for people who want to support Samaritans but don’t want to take calls. For example, we have volunteers who work with our
fundraising team to help raise the money that keeps the branch going. Or the IT volunteers who are there to make sure our computer system runs smoothly. Each volunteer, no matter the role, is extremely important to our service.
How to become a volunteer:
There are a couple of easy ways to find out more or to apply; just click on 'volunteer at this branch' – the big green box to the right – or contact us directly by emailing [email protected] or phoning 07531 789828 (you might have to leave a message but we will get back to you as quickly as we can).
Our next volunteer information & recruitment evening is on the following date, starting at 7pm:
- Monday 11 March 2019
- Monday 8 April 2019
Requirements and expectations:
- you must be over 18
- as well as a three-hour shift every week, Listener volunteers must agree to one night shift every month.