Buxton Samaritans funding disappears as social distancing kills charity events

Ian Morris, 65, told how during the Covid-19 pandemic call-takers at the charity’s local office were receiving an ‘overwhelming’ number of calls from people suffering with anxiety.

They are contacted not just by vulnerable people and their families who fear for their safety while isolated in their homes but also by the relatively young and fit - scared by news that the virus could see them hospitalised or worse.

However the branch - which supports people across the country and is paid for by volunteers’ fundraising activities - has seen its cash flow devastated by social distancing.

The lockdown means planned charity events such as sponsored walks, marathons, or stalls at occasions such as Buxton Spring Fair have all been axed - leaving the office with no way of meeting its running costs next year.

Ian, who described the situation as ‘critical’ says between £14,000-£15,000 a year is needed to cover rent and office overheads and the branch is ‘desperately in need of community help’ to keep going.

He said: “Right at the beginning of the crisis we had people in the vulnerable category who were extremely worried.

“Since then it's been a much broader spread of callers as people started to realise the virus can affect anyone - that message has been heard and some people are very worried about it.

“Even if not just for themselves - everyone knows someone who is vulnerable and they can’t comfort themselves.

“There are people who are in personal angst for a number of reasons and we’re there as an outlet.”

Father-of-three Ian, who has volunteered for five years, described how people who had ‘leaned’ on family and friends in the past were now alone.

He said: “These people fall on services such as ours as there’s no-one else for them to to talk to.”

Volunteers at the branch spend a minimum of 90 hours a week on the phone helping callers sometimes battling suicidal thoughts.

Call-takers have to be based from the office - with at least two people per shift to support each other and safeguard clients during ‘extremely sensitive’ conversations.

However their numbers have been reduced by a third from 40 to between 20-30 as some are elderly or in at-risk categories.

Speaking about the charity’s funding crisis Ian said: “We fund ourselves through sponsored walks, charity stalls or collections in supermarkets.

“But all of these things we can’t do any more and we’re racking our brains about how to replace the fundraising we normally do.

“Everyone is strapped for cash but we don’t want our guys to fall through the cracks – we have enough to see us through this year from previous fundraising but nobody knows how long this is going to last.

“We need money for next year and that’s a worry.”

To make a donation visit the Samaritans website HERE or the Samaritans of Buxton and High Peak crowdfunding page HERE.

Otherwise donations can be posted through the branch's letterbox at 22 Hardwick Street, Buxton, SK17 6DH.

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