Our wonderful Support Volunteers are crucial to the successful operation of our branch. Earlier this week they met up for a social evening at The White Swan in Arundel. This was a particularly special occasion because it marked the first time our support team had got together since before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Paul, our branch director, and Heather, our Deputy Director for volunteer support, also joined the team for drinks and a chat.
Everyone had an enjoyable time, and plenty of great conversation flowed throughout the evening. We found that getting together really helped boost team spirit, and it was interesting for everyone to share their experiences of volunteering and to learn more about each other, as many of our support volunteers tend to work away from the branch.
Running a Samaritans branch involves a great deal of work, and each of our support volunteers plays a key role. Among our talented team are volunteers who support our training, outreach activities, and fundraising. We also have administrators in charge of our DBS checks and Gift Aid donations, as well as a volunteer who runs our branch shop and another who manages our social media and publicity. Then there is the branch secretary who helps with the organisation and governance of the branch, and the treasurer who looks after our finances and premises. Together, all our support volunteers ensure the branch runs smoothly so we can continue to be there for our callers.
Branch Director Paul said: “We are lucky to have such a talented group of support volunteers who are the glue that holds our branch together. Their work behind the scenes enables us to successfully listen to callers, it was great to spend time with them this evening. I am very grateful for everything they do.”
Thank you to all our support volunteers! Here’s a photo taken during the evening.
From left to right: Marie, Susan, Emma, Lorraine, Heather, Jo, Sharon, and Kate (missing from the photo are Jo, Joe, and Chris, who sadly couldn’t make it).