Volunteer Clare Waring returned to Cross Street last year after a 12-year break. Here she writes about how the branch, and Samaritans itself, has developed over 20 years.
My journey with Samaritans began as a child. My grandmother was a Samaritan in London and she held annual street market fundraisers where the whole family, including her four sons and eight grandchildren were all roped in to help! I didn’t know what ‘Sams’ was then, but as I grew older (and wiser) I learned more about Samaritans and found that the core values and beliefs of the organisation were something that resonated with me and I knew it was something I wished to be part of. I first joined Ware Branch in 1999. We were still at Number 14 Cross Street, across the road from today’s branch. I remember the steep stairs up to the ‘training room’ where we squashed into a tiny bedroom for our initial training and once qualified I recall spending whole night duties where we went to bed and were woken from our light slumber by the phone ringing.
During my first few years, I volunteered for the On-going Training and School Talks teams, which I enjoyed. When Andrew took over as branch director, I was very happy to be asked to become deputy director for On-Going Training.
This is one of Samaritans’ huge strengths - supporting our volunteers by ensuring that everyone receives annual training updates so we can offer the best service possible to our callers.
In July 2007, when I was eight months pregnant, I finished my final shift - but I always knew I would return.
Little did I know that it would take me 12 years to be able to start my duties again. But I really missed Samaritans. I missed the quiet calm of walking into the branch for a duty, I missed the callers with their worries and stories, and most of all I missed the people. I truly believe that Samaritans volunteers are the most super people and make the most super friends.
On my return in 2019, some things had changed beyond recognition and others barely at all. Number 1 Cross Street looks fantastic! We had purchased No. 1 before I left, but the renovations, both downstairs and up, have ensured that our branch can provide a first class service to our callers.
The branch is also busier, with more available volunteers meaning that some duties can be triple-manned in normal times and we can take our message out of the branch with lots more outreach activities, again, in normal times.
I have to admit though that I was sorely disappointed to find the pink slips to swap shifts and the red and blue duty rota pins have disappeared and been replaced by modern technology!
And yet the core raison d’être of our branch has not changed at all. Our callers need us more than ever and our community is richer for having Samaritans always there.