New South Wales Valleys Samaritans phone service out of the VAC

South Wales Valleys Samaritans are proud to announce that we have started phone shifts in our room at Voluntary Action Merthyr Tydfil. The project started in 2015 with the aim of encouraging help seeking behaviour in the South Wales Valleys. At that time, there was no Samaritan branch in the area. This was initially through Outreach Activities, such as Feet on the Street, presence in the lobbies of local hospitals and visits to the Merthyr Custody Suite, among other initiatives. We always aimed to offer a telephone service also, and this was accentuated by the Covid crisis which has made Outreach Activities impossible for the time being.

Samaritans offer confidential, non judgemental, emotional support to those who need it and our vision is to reduce death by suicide. In 2019 our 20,000 volunteers nationally answered over 3.6 million calls. This averages a call every 6 seconds. South Wales Valleys Samaritans are delighted that we can add to that capacity and ensure that more people can get through more quickly. The Covid crisis is adding to the pressure on the mental health of many people, which makes the service ever more crucial.

 Anyone can call the service on 116 123. This is a completely free number and does not appear on telephone bills. You can also call the Welsh Language Line on 0808 164 0123 (This number is free to call and is open from 7pm - 11pm 7 days a week) If you are interested in finding out more about volunteering with us, please send us an email at volunteering@valleys-samaritans.org