Samaritans IOM celebrates 40 years of support
Samaritans Isle of Man are celebrating 40 years of volunteering this week with a visually poignant launch event tomorrow night.
40 pairs of shoes will be placed in front of the War Memorial, Douglas Promenade at 6pm to remember all people who have lost their lives to suicide.
Samaritans IOM say that current statistics show that one person dies every 40 seconds around the world, and so they want to highlight this to urge those in need of support to speak to them.
Other events will be held during this week to commemorate the anniversary, including a private gathering for past and present Samaritans volunteers and a visit to the Mayor’s Parlour.
Samaritans offers confidential judgement-free emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The number is 116 123 and it is free to call.
Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org.
There are currently around 60 on-Island volunteers but they say that they are in need of more.
Head of Publicity of Samaritans IOM Lesley Moughtin spoke to Energy FM News about the importance of talking to people without fear of judgement:
Lesley Moughtin Samaritans IOM
Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio