Samaritans director Kate Kirk
CALLS to the Samaritans in Jersey increased by 31 per cent last year as more and more people reached crisis point.
A total of 21,269 people rang the charity’s Jersey hotline. The figure is published in the Jersey Samaritans Review, but it is not possible to know how many of those calls were made in the Island.
This is because the Jersey branch also takes calls from the other Channel Islands and the UK, particularly the south of England, which are put through when lines there are engaged.
Director Kate Kirk said that the increase in calls could not necessarily be attributed to an increase in distressed Islanders. ‘We generally don’t know where someone is when they call unless they choose to tell us. All calls are anonymous, cannot be traced and are completely confidential,’ she said.
Samaritan phone lines on 08457 909090 are always open and the centre in Hue Street is open every day between noon and 8 pm.
Article posted on 4th July, 2009 - 2.57pm
4 Article Comments
The Samaritans is possibly the most worthwhile charity in Jersey. Its totally voluntary team works around the clock on every day of the year, listening to and comforting callers on every subject in the spectrum of human suffering.
What was not stated in the JEP article is that the Samaritans are always looking for new volunteers – of a suitable calibre – to pick up their phones and to listen.
Do you think you are up to this? Get in touch and find out more!
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I fully endorse the work of the SAMS as they call themselves,however 30% increase …? could it perhaps be that the “everything is hunky dory” message from the gang of fools in the big house has failed to assuage the increasing desperation of those who can’t keep up in this nightmare rat race we have going here..?
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Now I wonder if this increase could be due to the dreadful failure of many charges against the abusers from Haut De La Garenne etc?
I know that I would be phoning the Samaritans if I had been a victim and discovered that yet again nothing had been done to support me.
Expect more calls now that it appears nothing more will be done about abuse in this Island.
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These figures are meaningless. If Jersey SAMS have an increase in calls of 30% and they are now covering the South of Englands overflow, who is phoning from where ?
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