Volunteers at Dunfermline Samaritans attend a Parliamentary Reception to mark the charity’s 70th anniversary.

The group from Samaritans of Dunfermline were among Samaritans Scotland volunteers from all over the country to attend the function at the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday, November 29.

The event, hosted by Paul Sweeney MSP, Shadow Mental Health Minister, marked seven decades since Samaritans founder Chad Varah answered the first ever call to his helpline for people contemplating suicide.

Members of the Scottish Parliament and other invited guests heard from a range of speakers including Samaritans Scotland Executive Director, Neil Mathers; Samaritans Regional Director for Scotland, John Knight; and Samaritans Scotland Trustee, Amanda Millar.

Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, Maree Todd MSP, also paid tribute to Samaritans volunteers past and present.

Adrienne Rennie, a Samaritans caller from Lanarkshire, spoke about the ‘life-changing’ impact of her conversation with a helpline volunteer in 2019.

Guests also had the opportunity to visit a number of information stalls on Samaritans’ work across the country, including its role as a Strategic Outcome Lead on Scotland’s suicide prevention strategy, Creating Hope Together.

Claire Blanchflower, Director of Dunfermline Samaritans, said: “It was wonderful to be invited to the Scottish Parliament to mark the 70th anniversary of Samaritans, and to see the dedication of volunteers, past and present, celebrated so proudly.

“The role of a Samaritans volunteer is not without its challenges, but is hugely rewarding and it was lovely to meet and enjoy a sense of camaraderie with other volunteers from all over Scotland on the evening.”

Neil Mathers, Executive Director of Samaritans Scotland, said: “In Scotland, we have almost 1,000 volunteers based in branches across the country, and it was wonderful to welcome some of them to the Scottish Parliament to celebrate the impact the dedication of Samaritans volunteers has had over the last 70 years.

“UK-wide, Samaritans’ 23,000 volunteers respond to a call for help every 10 seconds.

“I’d like to thank Paul Sweeney MSP for his continued support and hosting the event, and Maree Todd MSP for joining us and giving such an impassioned speech.

“I’d also like to commend Samaritans caller Adrienne for speaking so bravely about her experience of calling Samaritans and the effect that call with one of our volunteers has had on her life.”