Bognor Regis, Chichester & District Samaritans’ blazing start to summer ‘25

We’ve had a busy start to the summer. As Samaritans, we do more than offer our phone service to our callers, who are our priority, but we are also present in our local communities. Our amazing volunteers from the Bognor Regis, Chichester & District branch can often be seen out and about, offering support to others, spreading awareness of our work, and raising money for the branch. From fundraisers to important talks, here is a roundup of the branch’s activities during the first half of summer 2025.

On Sunday, June 15, we attended TrinityFest, which was held on the Cathedral Green in Chichester. TrinityFest was a celebration of Chichester Cathedral’s 950th anniversary. The day featured tons of music and activities, and it was a joyous event to be a part of.

A few of our volunteers set up a stall on the Green, and had a fantastic time speaking to many of the festival goers. The pictures below show us at the stall, just in front of the Cathedral. As you can see, it was a lovely day with lots going on.

But it’s not just Trinity Fest we have visited. We have also completed plenty of other outreach work over the last month. On Friday, June 27, Samaritan David gave an excellent talk to the volunteers at Chichester Foodbank, now located at its new premises on Quarry Lane, where it has been situated since March. Our volunteers regularly visit the foodbank to show its clients, who may be going through a very difficult time, that we are there for them if they need us. We are proud to offer this ongoing support.

This particular talk from David focused on emotional health and on Samaritans’ approach to helping others. During the session, David discussed how to tell if someone may be struggling to cope and how simply listening to them can make a huge difference. By talking to someone and listening to them with empathy, we can allow them to sort through their feelings and release stress.

The talk also covered the effectiveness of ‘active listening’, and how everyone can become a better listener by following Samaritans’ SHUSH listening tips. The foodbank staff were very appreciative of all the valuable information, and they reported that the session meant a lot to them.

David and the rest of the outreach team are looking forward to continuing our work with Chichester Foodbank.

The support we provide to the foodbank is just one part of our outreach work. We are also partnered with Network Rail, and on the morning of June 30, a few of our railway team were on board services between Havant and Barnham stations, offering emotional support to passengers.

Volunteers Heather, Julie, James, Stephen, and Rod (and Rod’s dog Margot) boarded the trains to say a friendly hello to passengers and raise awareness of the support we offer. They distributed around 200 leaflets containing our SHUSH listening tips (the passengers, like the foodbank volunteers, found these very useful), and they had many friendly conversations as well. It’s always very rewarding to make these face-to-face connections, and the volunteers really felt that the passengers appreciated their presence.

We hope that by carrying out sessions such as this, we can not only help people in need but also allow others to realise that they too have the power to help someone who may be feeling low, whether it’s a close friend or a complete stranger.

We’d like to thank Southern Rail and Network Rail South for inviting us along, as well as the train staff and crew, who, as always, were very friendly and welcoming.

We are very lucky to have volunteers from the past and present who are willing to go the extra mile (sometimes literally!) to raise funds for the branch.

Dan was a listening volunteer with us for six years, so he fully understands the hard work and dedication of each of our volunteers. On Sunday, July 6, he took on the challenge of running a half-marathon at Goodwood Motor Circuit to raise money for us. He did an amazing job, completing the race in 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Thank you to everyone who sponsored Dan. He smashed his target of £500, raising a total of £690.20 – an incredible amount.

We would also like to thank volunteers Kate and Sue, who held a car boot sale in Chichester at the end of June. They had plenty of books, clothes, and other miscellaneous items donated by volunteers on sale. They made almost £230, a record amount for one of our car boot sales!

The funds raised by Dan, Kate, and Sue will help us to continue running our service and to be there for those who need us. If you would like to take part in a fundraising challenge for the branch, whether you’re a Samaritans volunteer or would just like to support us, please get in touch.

In the meantime, we’re looking forward to what the rest of the summer has in store.