This article is from page 21 of the 2012-06-05 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 21 JPG
THE Samaritans is celebrating 30 years in operation in the Banner County and the local branch is taking steps to raise awareness of its work in Clare.
New signs with Samaritans contact details are being installed at Doolin, Liscannor and at Clare’s premier tourist attraction the Cliffs of Moher, which has been visited by over four million people in the last five years. Two of its recent high profile visitors were Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping and Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni.
It’s hoped that the signs will increase awareness of the Samaritans and will lead to an increased level of engagement with the service.
The Samaritans first began taking calls in Clare in June 1982 and it now has well over 100 volunteers, and operates from a base on the Kilrush Road in Ennis.
Its work will be acknowledged by Clare County Council on June 11 when a reception will be held at Áras Contae an Chláir in Ennis.
Gerry Dobbin is director of the Clare branch of the Samaritans and has volunteered with the organisa- tion for many years.
He said that the branch has invested in the new signs in an attempt to raise awareness among people who may be at risk.
“We feel it is important that we get our message out to the public and we are particularly grateful to the Cliffs of Moher for their assistance in this. The Samaritans vision is for a society where fewer people die by suicide,” he said.
“We offer a listening ear to people who are experiencing feelings of distress and despair and we are available 24/7. We can be contacted by phone at 1850 60 90 90, by email at jo@samaritans.org, or by visiting our centre on the Kilrush Road in Ennis between the hours of 10am and 10pm each day.”
Some 15,000 dialogue contacts were made with the Clare and Ennis branch of the Samaritans in 2009. In 2010, 15,922 contacts were made by way of phone, face-to-face meetings and emails delivered and this increased by about 16 per cent to 17,383 in 2011. It is estimated that between 15 per cent and 20 per cent of all calls made to the Samaritans are from people who have suicidal thoughts.
The experience of the Clare branch has been replicated across the country, with a very noticeable increase in contacts to the service since the onset of recession.
Gerry said that the Samaritans don’t offer those who make contact any advice but talk to them about their feelings and the issues facing them. “It can be of great benefit for people to talk about what’s going on for them and by contacting the Samaritans they can talk about their problems. If they are feeling very low, or even suicidal they will get a chance to talk about that, an opportunity that people might not have otherwise,” he said.