The castle is lit in green to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Samaritans

October 30, 2023

Tamworth Borough Council is honoring 70 years of Samaritans by lighting the castle green on their anniversary on 2 November.

Starting out as a phone line 70 years ago, Samaritans has evolved to find countless ways to reach and support people from all communities today.

The Samaritans’ purpose, to be there to help people struggling to cope in times of crisis, is more vital than ever. Sadly, more than 5,000 people in England commit suicide every year, and one in five adults say they have felt suicidal at some point in their lives. At Samaritans they answer a call for help every 10 seconds, and last year there was not a single second that a Samaritan was not in contact.

Samaritans volunteers offer their support, day or night, to anyone who is struggling to cope, and needs someone to listen to them without judgment or pressure. Samaritans are not only present at the moment of crisis, they also take action to prevent the crisis.

They offer people ways to cope and skills to be there for others. They encourage, promote and celebrate moments of interpersonal connection that can save lives.

Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy, and Samaritans’ vision is that fewer people die by suicide.

The charity revealed earlier this year that it had responded to more than 134 million calls from people struggling to cope over the past 70 years. Not only does the lighting of the castle celebrate 70 years of valuable work, it is also a reminder of how important Samaritans are and that they are needed now more than ever.

Councilor Matin Summers, Portfolio Holder for Environmental Health and Community Partnerships, said: “Lighting the castle green to honor this important landmark for the Samaritans, also helps raise awareness of the life-saving work that Samaritan volunteers do, 24 hours a day, 365 days.” year.

“Last year, Samaritan volunteers spent nearly a million hours responding to calls for help. Lighting our memorial is a small way we can thank Samaritans for 70 years of being there to help anyone who needs someone.

“We are proud as a council to support the Tamworth Samaritans branch through grant funding, to enable a program of ongoing outreach activity that helps some of our most vulnerable residents and provides support where it is needed.”

Notes to editors:

About the Samaritans:

During 2021, approximately 22,000 people volunteered their time for Samaritans.

Nearly 20,000 volunteers trained to listen to calls for help responded.

Around 2,500 volunteers have supported the operation of more than 200 branches and sites across the UK and Ireland.

More than 1,300 people at the prison volunteered as trained listeners.