Samaritans giving the gift of listening

Samaritans volunteer Jean Casey

New figures reveal one in three calls to Samaritans on Christmas Day are from people who feel lonely and isolated.

The festive period can be a challenging time for some, and that’s why Samaritans volunteers from the Rochdale, Oldham and District branch are helping to keep the service running for those in need throughout the Christmas break, even on Christmas Day.

Samaritans responded to more than 400,000 calls for help during December 2017, by phone, email and text throughout the UK and Ireland.

Despite all the festivities, more than 11,000 of those calls for help and emotional support came in on Christmas Day. 

Samaritans is asking all of us to give the gift of listening this Christmas, by encouraging friends and family going through a difficult time to open up and know that it’s okay to not be okay, even at Christmas.

To make it easier, the charity has produced a set of vouchers to download from the Samaritans website, offering time to listen as a present.

A pair of novelty socks won’t save a life, but listening can make a huge difference.

Jean Casey, who has been a Samaritans volunteer for a number of years, said: "The public image of Christmas is portrayed as a time of joy, peace, goodwill and happiness for all.

"As Samaritans at Christmas time, our callers' reality can be very different.

"Sadness, loneliness, additional family and social pressures and lack of money can be an extra burden on our callers at this time of year and that's exactly why we are here to answer the phone to our callers and provide emotional support  twenty four hours a day, every day of the year.

"It 's a humbling experience to do a shift at Samaritans any time, but especially at Christmas time when emotions run high and people feel under more pressure to wear a happy smile. 

"To be there for someone who feels they just cannot put on that smile is truly heart warming and to have the privilege to listen and give emotional support when nobody else is available is truly rewarding." 

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