Laura Mathieson - The Samaritans

MORPETH ROTARY WORK OF SAMARITANS

Laura Mathieson is a volunteer who gave a talk with the assistance of volunteer Janet. Samaritans receive a call for assistance every 10 seconds and spent over one million hours answering calls in 2024. Nationally they operate 24 hours a day for 365 days a year with 23,000 volunteers. A free number is available night and day on 116 123. Contact can also be made by e-mail and letter. 

It was started by London Vicar Rev. Chad Varah who also wrote for the Eagle, Girl, Swift and Robin children's comics. It started as a man with a base and an emergency telephone line who was willing to listen. He had been moved by the suicide of a 14 year old girl. There are now similar organisations all over the world, although for political reasons they are called Befrienders International. 

Every 90 minutes someone in the UK and Ireland takes their own life. Three times more men than women and more young men than older. Their vision is that fewer people commit suicide. Their values are: to listen; offer human contact; be confidential; non judgemental; and let people make their own decisions. They do not offer counselling. A special service they offer is to train staff at railway stations on what to look out for to prevent harm.

The Northumberland Branch is a small one that is not open 24/7 but has a shift system. Each branch must fund itself. It has offices in Ashington and Berwick.