Bench marks Samaritans milestone

A handmade bench made by volunteers was presented to Telford Samariatans this week, to celebrate fifty years of service in Telford.

The Samaritans are a non-judgemental, confidential listening service with 200 branches nationwide.  The Telford branch has 60 volunteers who work shifts to answer calls from people with no-one to turn to.

Lisa, Vice Director in Telford told Telford Live “Since the branch opened, we’ve had hundreds of volunteers, and we’re hoping to have an open day to welcome them back to celebrate the fify years.

“We are also looking for new volunteers to join us. There is training and support and you don’t need any proir experience. Just complete the form on the website”.

It’s not just phone calls. The Samaritans go into prisons to train inmates to become listeners, there is also an email and letter service too. 

The service is funded in part by the Samaritans Charity Shop in Wellington, who are setting up a cake stall at the Charter Day celebrations in the town today.

The bench was made over 12 weeks by volunteers at Smallwoods, and was created using traditional methods, without powertools or any screws or bolts.

The timber used was from wind-fallen trees in Telford, including Chestnut and Oak.

Pic:Julie Menary from the Samaritans and Sian Gould who helped build the bench.