Latest news with #SamaritansAwarenessDay
Irish Independent
07-08-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
East Coast Samaritans highlight 24/7 service after caller inspires new campaign
After completing a 24-hour silence for Samaritans Awareness Day on July 24 last year, to show Samaritans are there 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 22-year-old Nathan inspired this year's 'Shush For Samaritans' – one of four 24-hour challenges for supporters to raise funds for the charity, along with challenges for gamers, crafters and Taylor Swift fans (details on Funds raised will support branches across Ireland, including East Coast Samaritans, which prevents suicide through the power of human connection, and had stands at the Bridgewater Shopping Centre in Arklow and Gorey Library on July 24 to raise awareness of the service. 'I was always seen as the bubbly, outgoing one - always trying to put a smile on people's faces,' Athlone man Nathan said. 'But that didn't mean everything was always fine behind the scenes. Like many others, I went through times when I struggled. And during those moments, Samaritans were there. 'They were the voice at the end of the phone when I felt like I had no one else. Sometimes I called in tears, other times just needing someone to listen. I never felt judged - only supported. 'Those calls helped me through the darkest moments, and looking back now, I truly believe they played a part in shaping the person I've become.' Noting how Samaritans Awareness Day is such an important date for the charity, East Coast Samaritans branch director Brigid Flynn said that they want to get the message out that Samaritans are there 24 hours a day for anyone in crisis and struggling to cope on freephone 116 123. 'It remains a challenging time for many people, and we want to remind the public that they are not alone – our volunteers are here at any time of day or night, whatever they are facing,' Brigid said. Deputy director of outreach, Linda McCormick, added: 'We were delighted with the support shown to us in July, in the run-up to 24/7. 'Every time someone stops to talk to us at a stand, our message is spread - you are never alone when you can call Samaritans.' Local craftaholic, CJ Cassin from Arklow, took part in a 24hr crafting challenge raising additional funds and awareness, with East Coast Samaritans also kindly donated a tree by Dublin Samaritans to mark 24/7 2025 – a gesture of solidarity between branches, or 'A Tree of Hope'. You can contact Samaritans for free at any time, from any phone, even a mobile without credit, on 116 123. The number won't show up on your phone bill. You can also email jo@ or visit for more info. To volunteer with Samaritans visit
Irish Independent
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Sligo Samaritans urging people to reach out for help as a caller inspires new campaign
Nathan Green said Samaritans 'helped me through the darkest moments' when he was struggling and going through a tough time. Last year he completed a 24-hour silence for Samaritans Awareness Day, held on July 24th to show Samaritans are there 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on freephone 116 123 or email jo@ It inspired 'Shush For Samaritans' this July – one of four 24-hour challenges for supporters to raise funds for the charity. Other challenges are for gamers, crafters and Taylors Swift fans. For details visit Funds raised will support branches across Ireland including Sligo Samaritans – who will be out and about on the streets of Sligo town on July 24th to raise awareness of the service. Nathan, 22, said: 'I was always seen as the bubbly, outgoing one - always trying to put a smile on people's faces. But that didn't mean everything was always fine behind the scenes. Like many others, I went through times when I struggled. And during those moments, Samaritans were there. 'They were the voice at the end of the phone when I felt like I had no one else. Sometimes I called in tears, other times just needing someone to listen. 'I never felt judged - only supported. Those calls helped me through the darkest moments, and looking back now, I truly believe they played a part in shaping the person I've become,' he added. Samaritans is the charity that prevents suicide through the power of human connection. Christina Farrington, Branch Director with Sligo Samaritans, said: 'Samaritans Awareness Day is such an important date for us – we want to get the message out that Samaritans are here 24 hours a day for anyone in crisis and struggling to cope on freephone 116 123. 'It remains a challenging time for many people and we want to remind the public that they are not alone. Our volunteers are here at any time of day or night, whatever they are facing. 'We also want people to support us on the 24th July when our volunteers will be out in force on the streets of Sligo for our Annual Street Collection. 'Ocean FM have kindly agreed to host their Afternoon Show (1:30-4:00pm) from O' Connell Street where a Bike-A-Thon will be taking place (sponsored by ROM). The aim is to cycle 247kms on the day to raise awareness of our 24/7 service. Thank you to the Innisfree Wheelers for supporting this event. 'Thank you to the Sligo Volunteer Centre for helping us with volunteers to do our collection on the day. We are very grateful for all the local support with sponsorship. We couldn't continue to provide our service without your generosity.'
BreakingNews.ie
14-07-2025
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
How to be a good listener when someone is going through a bad time
When someone is going through through a tough time it can be easy to jump straight into problem-solving mode, but sometimes taking a moment to pause and properly listen can be more beneficial. To mark all the amazing work the Samaritans charity does for people in emotional distress ahead of Samaritans Awareness Day (July 24), we want to know how we can become excellent listeners and why this crucial skill is so important. Advertisement We spoke to Lucia Capobianco, learning and development consultant at the Samaritans , who offered some of her top tips on how to brush up on our listening skills. Why is being a good listener important? What impact can it have? 'I think being a good listener has so many benefits,' says Capobianco. 'It allows you to really hear what someone is saying, to pick up on, perhaps, signs and signals that you may not have done.' It also helps build and strengthen connections with others. Listening can help strengthen relationships (Alamy/PA) 'I think it is a wonderful way of building connection, connecting with people, and it really strengthens that, because if you're a good listener, people love to talk to you because they know that you will listen, you will understand, you will give them time,' explains Capobianco. Advertisement Most importantly, the Samaritans charity believes that listening can save lives. 'You never know when listening could save someone's life by giving them that space to talk and get something off their chest and not feel so alone with it,' says Nithiya Gnanathas, media and PR manager at Samaritans. Why is listening – rather than offering advice – so important when someone is going through a tough time? Ask them how they feel (Alamy/PA) 'You often give advice based on what you would do, what you would think, and that may not be appropriate for the person,' says Capobianco. 'It's much better to listen to the person and to encourage them to make their own decisions. 'It's much more powerful to say, what do you want to do? How are you feeling about it? Because that helps keeps that conversation going and will help them open up more.' Advertisement How can we show empathy without necessarily having experienced the same situation? Empathy is about putting yourself in their shoes (Alamy/PA) It's easy to say 'I know how you feel' as a casual remark, but the truth is, we often don't – because everyone is facing their own unique circumstances. 'Empathy is trying to understand how someone feels and putting yourself in their shoes,' says Capobianco. 'It's not about trying to make someone feel better, which is hard, because naturally, especially if it's a friend or a family member, you want to make them feel better, you want them to be okay. But I think empathy is about understanding that that may not be possible. 'So, you don't have to have gone through the same thing as someone to actually really listen to what they're telling you. You just need to take your time and allow them the space to tell you how it is.' What role does body language play in being a good listener? 'Non-verbal things like body language are extremely important in face-to-face situations,' says Capobianco. 'So, it's all about the eye contact, the nodding and making sure you are sitting quite openly. Try to be relaxed and not defensive with your arms and avoid fidgeting or looking at your watch, because that gives the impression perhaps you'd rather be somewhere else.' What are some key listening techniques that people often overlook? View this post on Instagram A post shared by Samaritans (@samaritanscharity) The Samaritans use the SHUSH acronym to share key tips for those looking to improve their listening skills. 'So the S stands for show that you care. So, that's questions like How are you? You don't seem like yourself, fancy a chat? – that kind of thing,' says Capobianco. 'H stands for have patience. It's having patience and giving the person space and time if they do choose to talk. Advertisement 'U stands for use open questions, like how are you feeling? What's going on? And the second S stands for say it back. One of the really powerful things that demonstrates that you're listening, is to reflect things back to the person you're talking to, using their language. For example, if someone says to you I really don't know where things are going, you could say back, you can't keep going like this. 'The final one is H for have courage. Never be afraid to ask someone if they're all right. Those three really simple words can make a heck of a difference to someone, because it gives permission to someone say, no, I'm not okay, can we have a chat? And you can never make it worse.' How can listeners support someone without taking on their emotional burden? 'I think it's really key that you take the time to reflect on the conversation you've had and that you look after yourself,' advises Capobianco. 'I think it's important to remember that you're not responsible for that person or what they do and you can perhaps encourage them to seek professional help if you think that is appropriate. 'You can't take it all on yourself and need to understand that you're not going to fix it. After a tough conversation, do something for yourself. It can be as flippant as making a hot chocolate or a cup of tea, but it's important to take time for some self-care.' Advertisement View this post on Instagram A post shared by Samaritans (@samaritanscharity) You can contact a Samaritans volunteer anytime, day or night, by calling its free helpline at 116 123 or by emailing jo@
