SAMARATHON - The Samaritans’ annual fundraiser asking supporters to run or walk 26.2 miles throughout July has been launched and has never been as important as it is this year.
Nationally, Samaritans are providing emotional support more than 7,000 times a day during lockdown through phone calls, emails and letters. One in three of those contacts is about coronavirus with people feeling anxious and distressed.
Kat and Eve from Cardiff Samaritans prepare to run their Samarathon ….pictured with the 24 hour helpline number 116123
Nationally, Samaritans are providing emotional support more than 7,000 times a day during lockdown through phone calls, emails and letters. One in three of those contacts is about coronavirus with people feeling anxious and distressed.
While the organisation hasn’t seen a significant change in the number of calls, volunteers have experienced an increase in emails most likely because people struggle to talk in private during lockdown. There is also an increase in first-time callers, calls from prisoners, calls from people seeking advice and others just wanting some human contact.
The annual Samarathon fundraiser will help raise money for the charity at this critical time to enable the organisation to continue their vision of seeing less people die by suicide.
Director of Cardiff Samaritans, Marcie, who manages a team of more than 90 volunteers in the Welsh capital, said: “Every six seconds somebody contacts Samaritans for help and our volunteers are making extraordinary efforts at this time to be there for those in need.
“In this current climate we really need the public’s continued support. Due to the cancellation of many of our fundraising events, we’re facing a significant loss of funding, so we’re urging the public to help us ensure that we continue to be here for anyone who needs support."
Marcie- Director, Cardiff and District Samaritans
A recent survey undertaken by Samaritans volunteers has shown that significant caller concerns are being expressed around mental health and illness, family and relationships, isolation and loneliness. Volunteers noted that key issues include the inability to access mental health services while having reduced coping mechanisms like seeing friends or enjoying hobbies. The survey also acknowledged the real strain of being separated from loved ones, as well as tensions rising in households.
Other areas callers are concerned about are the impact on basic needs such as food, housing and employment – the worry of which can add to existing conditions like anxiety, depression and OCD.
Marcie added: “As many of our branch fundraising activities have been cancelled, we’re appealing to the community to support Samarathon by signing up at https://samarathon.samaritans.org/ and choose the link to the Cardiff branch. The great thing is that you don’t have to do it all in one go and you can be as creative as you like with the way you do it. Hopping, rollerskating and other forms of movement are all welcome. As long as you complete the 26.2 miles in the month of July, that’s good enough for us. It’s the public’s kind donations and our extraordinary volunteers that mean Samaritans is always there for anyone struggling to cope.”