Hugh, a Samaritans volunteer at Winchester for more than 10 years, has been recognised by the High Sheriff of Hampshire.
One of our volunteers has been recognised with a High Sheriff of Hampshire Award for his work on the Listener scheme at HMP Winchester.
Hugh, a Samaritans volunteer for more than 10 years, led the Prison Listeners scheme at the prison and continues to work closely on the programme.
As part of our commitment to reducing suicide, we train prisoners to provide emotional support to their peers, by becoming 'Listeners'. You can read more about the scheme here.
Hugh was presented his award on Thursday, 14 March, by the current High Sheriff, Amelia Riviere. These awards are a mark of distinction and recognition for those supporting the criminal justice system and making Hampshire a safer and more socially cohesive place to live.
After receiving his award from the High Sheriff, Hugh said:
“I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to lead our team of volunteers at HMP Winchester. We take time to train and support groups of prisoners as listeners who provide face to face support to other prisoners at any time of the day or night. They do this as volunteers and receive no pay or perks for their service. People in prison are very vulnerable and among the highest risk group for death by suicide, so this is a public service that really matters. It saves lives, reduces harm and provides hope for the callers and at the same time gives the listeners valuable life skills and a sense of contributing to others. It is a welcome tribute to the whole team, Samaritans and volunteers, to have this work recognised today.”
Amelia Rivière, High Sheriff of Hampshire for 2023-2024, made the presentations and had an opportunity to meet with the awardees to hear their stories. She said:
“In my time as High Sheriff I have been wowed by how many extraordinary people I have met doing extraordinary things to improve our communities and the outcome for individuals. This year, we received a great number of nominations, making it very hard to choose the final list of awardees. This demonstrates the breadth of positive work being undertaken right across Hampshire to support our criminal justice system. Those who were recognised in this year’s awards have gone above and beyond to improve people’s lives, and often in very difficult situations. It was an honour meeting the individuals face to face to thank them for their hard work and commitment.”