Edinburgh
Edinburgh and the Lothians
Thanks to the funds raised by Motorola,
Edinburgh and the Lothians branch have been able to:
- Re-print their credit card-sized contact cards, with details of
the various ways in which callers can reach them. These were
originally suggested to the branch by police officers in West
Lothian, and demand for them from a number of agencies has been
high. A second re-print may be needed soon! The information
on them is so important as it raises awareness of the branch and
all the different ways its volunteers can be reached for emotional
support. The credit card-size format is popular because the cards
are convenient to carry around.
- Produce a branch information leaflet, for general
awareness-raising, volunteer recruitment, and fundraising. It’s
important that everyone – especially potential volunteers – should
know what they do and where they are. Like most branches based in
large cities, they have to recruit at least a quarter of their
volunteers each year just to keep their numbers steady. With a
bigger complement, they could increase the amount of outreach that
they do, and/or reduce the annual commitment expected of volunteers
- which in turn might help with retention. Many volunteers have to
"juggle" their commitment as a Samaritan with responsibilities
towards their work, family or studies (and sometimes all
three!)
- Purchase some items of new furniture for their Duty Room (ops
room). This is part of a general re-modelling of the room, the rest
of which they’re paying for from other sources or their own
reserves. The re-modelling is necessary because the room is now
being used 24/7 to deliver a range of services, some of which were
not envisaged when the room was first laid out about ten years ago
(e.g. text messaging).
With funds that have been raised in 2007
Edinburgh & Lothians branch have:
- Obtained new signs for the main suicide ‘hotspots’ – such as
bridges - in Edinburgh, Midlothian, East Lothian and West Lothian.
The location of the signs wil be decided in consultation with local
councils, the police, and other interested parties. Suicides in
public places are unusual, but have a greater chance of impacting
on the general public. There is evidence that they can be
prevented by carefully-worded signs pointing to the emotional
support available from Samaritans.
- Obtained an updated sign for their front door! The new sign
incorporates their “Investing in Volunteers” logo of which
they are very proud.
- Break even! They keep running costs to a minimum, but a 24/7
operation isn’t cheap. It costs over £1,000 a week just to keep
their Centre open.
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