Even the rain couldn't damp Samaritans spirits at the Ipstones Show
Leek and District Samaritans made their annual visit to the Ipstones Agricultural show on Saturday 29th August. After a summer of beautiful, hot, sunny days the weather luck changed on Ipstones Show day. It didn't just rain - it poured and poured and we all got soaked to the skin. Did it dampen our spirits? - No not at all!
We gathered with cakes, a tombola, lots of laughs and smiles and we had a great day. Although a relatively small number visited the stall, everyone was very supportive and tried really hard to win the tombola prizes.
For Pam, one of our most experienced volunteers the highlight of the day was hearing the story of a local person who wanted to share how much they had been supported by Samaritans following the loss of someone very close to them. This left them with a sense of despair and close to suicide. They described how conversations with Samaritans listeners made things feel so different and helped them turn their life back around. Pam said "This is a conversation that I will never forget and it reinforced the important work we do. The rain was immaterial after that."
Sara, one of our newer volunteers, and part of our local farming community was truly part of the show as, in addition to having a presence on the Samaritans stand, she and her family were showing their cattle on the day. She says "The cows must have benefited from our Power of Listening presentation as they were voted Ayrshire Champion"
Leek and District Samaritans are proud to support our local rural communities and with heartfelt gratitude we thank our farmers for their hard, often unrecognised work, (particularly through the tough dry weather conditions this summer) to bring food to the local community.
It is wonderful to be part of such a vibrant and well-loved show.