Samaritans Director For Wales Appointed
Date: Thursday 10th September 2009
Contact: Claire
Duncan
Phone: +44 (0)20 8394 8345
Email: Out of hours press phone: +44 (0)7943
809162
Samaritans Director For Wales Appointed
Health Minister
Edwina Hart today [Thursday, 10 September] announced the
appointment of Simon Hatch as the first Samaritans Director for
Wales.
The role, funded by the Welsh Assembly Government, will increase
awareness of Samaritans’ services across Wales and support the
delivery of suicide reduction programmes in the country.
Brought up in Flintshire and Denbighshire, Mr Hatch has spent
the majority of his working life in Wales, and has over a decade of
experience in charity and politics within the country.
The new role will commence on Monday 12 October 2009. Mrs Hart
said:
“The Welsh Assembly Government is funding this post as part of
the wider plan on suicide prevention that will be launched this
autumn.
“The plan establishes a number of new initiatives and pulls
together existing programmes to provide a strategic approach to
suicide prevention in Wales.
“We are working to ensure that we have a better equipped
workforce who can provide help when and where it is needed, and the
introduction of a Samaritans’ Director of Wales will play a key
role in bringing together voluntary services and activities.”
Speaking about the new appointment, Catherine Johnstone, Chief
Executive of Samaritans, said:
“We very much welcome the funding for the new Director of Wales
role. This is a wonderful opportunity for Samaritans to work in
partnership with the Welsh Assembly Government to reduce suicide
rates in Wales in these troubled times.
“Simon’s extensive management experience, in both the public and
third sector, will prove invaluable in co-ordinating the delivery
of extensive outreach and awareness raising work across our
branches in Wales, building on our long history of supporting
emotionally distressed and vulnerable people”.
ENDS -
Notes to editors
If you would like to arrange an interview with Catherine or a
Samaritans’ spokesperson, please contact the Samaritans’ press
office on: 0208 394 8348
It is the aim of Samaritans to make emotional health a
mainstream issue. Samaritans' vision is for a society where fewer
people die by suicide because people are able to share feelings of
emotional distress openly without fear of being judged. Samaritans
believes that offering people the opportunity to be listened to in
confidence, and accepted without prejudice, can alleviate despair
and suicidal feelings.
Samaritans is a registered charity, founded in 1953, which
offers 24-hour confidential emotional support to anyone in
emotional distress. The service is offered by 17,556 (as at end of
June 2009) trained volunteers and is entirely dependent on
voluntary support. Across the UK, you can call Samaritans on 08457
90 90 90 (1850 60 90 90 in the Republic of Ireland) email jo@samaritans.org, write to
Samaritans at Chris, PO Box 9090, Stirling, FK8 2SA, or if you are
deaf or hard of hearing use the single national minicom number
08457 90 91 92. Log on to www.samaritans.org for more information.
Calls from BT will be charged at up to 2 pence per minute at all
times. A call set-up fee of 7 pence applies to calls from
residential lines. Mobile and other providers' charges may
vary.
World Health Organisation
suicide prevention day 10th September 2009