The Lancaster and District branch of Samaritans is urgently looking for new volunteers.
As well as listening volunteers who help to respond to people in distress who contact Samaritans, the charity is urgently calling for new volunteers to join a friendly team of people working in their Lancaster City Centre charity shop which will reopen later in the Summer after being damaged by the floods of December.
Their charity shop, in Damside Street, is the charity’s main source of funding and, essentially, pays to keep the branch running. Volunteers are urgently needed to allow the shop to be staffed full-time once it reopens.
As a shop volunteer, you would be working on the shop floor, serving customers, using the till and helping keep the shop tidy. You will also be required to help sort the stock and use a steamer on the clothes prior to going on the shop floor. The Samaritans shop volunteers work on a rota system and a minimum commitment of 4 hours per week is required.
“Volunteers are the life-blood of Samaritans and we depend on the income from our shop to keep the branch open,” explains Jenny Dighton, director of Lancaster and District Samaritans. “We desperately need more volunteers to help in the shop and if you can spare just a few hours a week we would love to hear from you.
“There are many reasons to volunteer with us, whether it be developing new skills, making good friends or knowing you’re giving something back to your community. As a Samaritans volunteer, whatever role your take, you are still making a big difference to those people in distress who depend on our services when they are in distress.
“Volunteering with Samaritans is a very rewarding experience,” she says. “You’ll be joining a very friendly and social team of volunteers, and we provide full training and on-going support. We have volunteers from as far afield as Windermere and Kendal, and everyone’s contribution is valued.”
• Anyone interested in finding out more can email samaritans.lancaster@hotmail.com or drop into the informal information evening in the Sun Street centre from 6pm – 7.00pm on the last Tuesday of each month
• Anyone in distress can talk to Samaritans any time they like, in their own way and off the record, about whatever is getting to them. To contact Samaritans you can call for free on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org round the clock, every single day of the year. You can also call into the branch during their opening hours at 21 Sun Street, Lancaster