Samaritans branch reinstates face-to-face service

The Samaritans in Oxford said they could sometimes pick up on people's feelings in person in a way they cannot over the phone

Volunteers from the Samaritans are set to resume hosting face-to-face visits in Oxford.

People who would like to be listened to in person will be able to go to the branch on Magdalen Road on Saturdays between 15:00 and 18:00.

The charity's deputy director in the city, Gary Browning, said this was in addition to its 24/7 phone service.

He said even though calls were "very valuable", some people found it helped to talk things through in person.

The sessions will be hosted at the charity's Magdalen Road site

Mr Browning, who has been involved with the charity since 1987, said the active listening Samaritans provided was valuable and allowed people to feel comfortable when revealing their experiences and feelings.

"Sometimes they are feeling very low, desperate and suffering," he said.

"One learns to be there with people and enable them to talk.

"But it's not for everyone. And we cannot intervene and come up with solutions."

Mr Browning said the Samaritans could engage over the phone but that volunteers could pick up on more cues about how people feel face-to-face.

"Some people find it's better to be there alongside someone," he said.

'Let people know'

He explained that the local branch was building up a dedicated team so that two volunteers do the face-to-face service "each time, each session".

"It's taking us a long time to get it back," he said.

"We need to be able to get more people doing more duties - that takes effort."

He added that the service was "returning to some branches but not all".

"We will let the central Samaritans know how things are going and if it's a success here," Mr Browning said.

He said he thought people could be "more reluctant to get out post-Covid".

"One of the things that is important is to let people know about it," he said.

"If it is a success, we'll extend it and put it on more times."