Our History
In January 1963, Jersey Samaritans took out some advertising in the Guernsey Press, and the Managing Director at the GEP at the time (and others, including the Rotary Club of Guernsey) felt it would be beneficial for Guernsey to have its own branch, and approached the Reverend Chad Varah (who founded the Movement in London on 2 November, 1953), for permission to try and establish one. An advert was placed and over 60 potential volunteers attended a public meeting with a view to training as Samaritans.
The selected volunteers completed training and officially ‘opened’ the Guernsey Branch of The Samaritans on 18 March 1963.
Now Guernsey is one of 201 branches throughout the British Isles, the UK and Ireland.
Today marks 70 years since Chad Varah founded @samaritans. Here in Guernsey we are celebrating our 60th anniversary this year. #happybirthdaypic.twitter.com/ozyZI2wbh6
— GuernseySamaritans (@GsySams) November 2, 2023
In the beginning, there were no premises, and calls were transferred and taken at volunteers’ homes, on a rota basis. This arrangement continued very successfully for many years, providing cover for the phone 24hrs a day.
Advertising was directed at the lonely, suicidal and despairing – and emphasised the total confidentiality and anonymity of the service, which was and still is the hallmark of the charity. Some callers just wanted a listening ear, or the sound of a sympathetic voice, whilst others were in deep distress.
The number and often seriousness of calls in the early days clearly proved the need for the service.
Very soon it was obvious that a meeting place to see callers ‘face to face’ was necessary and original venues included a ‘discrete’ room at the St. Peter Port Constables offices, and in 1972 a ‘not so discrete’ room at the Weighbridge Clock Tower, often shared with fishermen weighing their catches! After a fund-raising effort, the Samaritans secured a lease at no. 42 The Bordage. It was a welcome improvement but not ideal.
Pictured: The Samaritans are based at Forest Lane in the centre of town.
Within 4 years the search for suitable premises was successful, and with the help of the fundraising team – ‘The Friends of the Samaritans’ – and donations from local business people and various individuals, a derelict property, No. 2 Forest Lane, was purchased, refurbished and converted to a custom built office and meeting rooms. It was officially opened on 14 February 14, 1979 by Lady Martin, wife of the Lieutenant Governor and Patron of the Guernsey Branch, and is still our home.
Our Volunteers
In 1970 there were 105 callers to the Guernsey Branch phone over the year.
By 1983 this had risen to 3,400 calls. Nowadays 22,000 Samaritans volunteers across the network, including Guernsey, spend over one million hours responding to calls for help. That’s around 10,000 calls – one call every 10 seconds. The 24 hour listening service has come to be what Rev Varah first envisaged, and more.
Guernsey volunteer numbers have fluctuated over the years – between 30 and 90 people willing to listen to total strangers who need to share a problem.
Volunteers span all age ranges and social and professional backgrounds, but all share the same ability – to listen, to care, and not to judge or tell people what to do. Although Samaritans was founded by a vicar it isn’t a religious organisation and we have volunteers from every faith, or no faith. Callers are accepted for who ever they are; whatever their own personal beliefs and whatever they do.
Pictured: A photograph provided by the Guernsey Samaritans.
All new volunteers undergo thorough training after an interview and selection process, the principal skill being to learn to use ‘active listening’. Training is both face to face and through digital modules. Volunteers are also required to undertake training ever year to update their skills and learn about any new policies and procedures.
New volunteers have a mentor to assist when they start taking calls. There is a well-structured support system for all volunteers who may want to discuss their personal feelings after a particularly difficult or upsetting call, although everything the callers say is always strictly confidential.
Our Vision
Samaritans vision is that fewer people die by suicide. Suicidal thoughts can be complex, frightening and confusing, but Samaritans are not afraid of going into difficult areas with people and will take them seriously, whether they are having suicidal thoughts, or have made clear plans to end their life. There is no evidence that talking to someone about suicidal thoughts ‘puts it in someone’s head’. In fact the opposite is true – what we do know is that by giving callers the space to explore their feelings and their situation, they may see other options and different perspectives, that there is hope and that perhaps living is a better choice than dying.
Having said this, the vast number of callers to Samaritans are not suicidal. They are dealing with everyday issues that we all may face, and with the need to share that with someone – maybe they are angry, upset, have lost someone close to them, have challenges at work or maybe financial worries.
There is no ‘average’ caller and we’d much rather people call us when they begin to feel they need some help, are struggling to cope or want to get something off their chest, rather than to wait until they are very unwell.
Pictured: Listening is the core component of the Samaritans service.
All calls to Samaritans are confidential and anonymous (unless the caller wishes to give a name to be called by). Calls are not recorded and we don’t trace calls. We have strong safeguarding procedures in place.
Changes over the years
Although the ethos of Samaritans is the same today as when it was founded, what has changed is technology. Telephone is still the most common form of contact, but email and instant messaging are both available. There is also a ‘correspondence branch’ which receives letters that are responded to personally in handwriting. When we first opened in 1963 our number was ‘Central 3030’.
At that time branches used local numbers which could be routed elsewhere in the country when the branch was closed. In 2009 Ofcom allocated 116 123 to Samaritans. This number is free to call from mobiles and landlines. A call to this number will be answered by whichever branch has a free line. Consequently Guernsey volunteers will answer calls from anywhere in the country – in fact it’s very rare to receive a ‘local’ call – and even if we do, we might not know that unless the caller tells us. In such a small community, this can be reassuring if someone is concerned about confidentiality.
Outreach
We have a dedicated Prison Team in Guernsey who train ‘Listeners’ in prison – these are trusted prisoners trained like Samaritans to provide face to face support to other prisoners at Les Nicolles. The team also visit weekly to support the Listeners and to meet new arrivals to explain about the service. In addition to face to face support, many prisons across the network provide a confidential, direct dial telephone in cells to Samaritans which can be accessed at any time by inmates or staff.
When our volunteer numbers allow, we also arrange outreach events which aim to raise awareness of Samaritans services in the wider community by visits to workplaces and a presence at major shows and events.
Pictured: Volunteers continue to fundraise for the Guernsey Samaritans.
We still have the Friends of the Samaritans who help us with fund raising and sponsorship. Without the Friends’ financial support over the years we could not have continued to operate. Samaritans is not funded by any UK government department or the States of Guernsey other than receipt of a nominal grant towards expenses each year.
Contact us
Anyone can contact Samaritans free of charge from any phone on 116 123, even a mobile without credit. This number won’t show up on your phone bill.
People can also email jo@samaritans.org or visit www.samaritans.org
Anyone wishing to help fund Samaritans or assist with sponsorship can contact us by email – guernsey@samaritans.org.
If you are interested in volunteering please follow the links on our website for more information www.samaritans.org/support-us/volunteer/ or email us guernsey@samaritans.org
With thanks to long-standing volunteer Ray, for the historical background information in this article.