Cheltenham and District Samaritans volunteers joined with volunteers from the Gloucester branch to show our support at Gloucester Pride.
Gloucester and Cheltenham branches join forces each year to be in the community for this event. On a sweltering day, twelve Samaritans took part in the march and despite the heat, had a very positive day at this annual event. There were lots of lovely comments from the people of Gloucester and it was great to raise awareness of our service.
June is Pride month and we want to highlight our support for Pride, both as a local branch and a wider organisation.
We support anyone in distress of course but, during Pride month, we have a special awareness of many of the lived experiences that callers from the LQBTQ+—and growing definitions of sexuality and gender—communities cope with. Whilst for many, Pride is often a time of visibility and celebration, for others the event can heighten feelings of anxiety, of feeling excluded and often of loneliness, through either being unable to join in, for a whole host of reasons, or fear generated by the increased awareness and scrutiny by others. Samaritans recognise that this month may increase feelings of vulnerability, disconnect and distress and we would say loudly – call us…. we are here for you, all of you. Please don’t allow negative feelings to overwhelm you.
If Pride month is a time of celebration and release for you, then ENJOY! Happy PRIDE everyone!