Shoulder for farmers to cry on

Now the Samaritans of Pendle, Burnley and Rossendale have thrown a lifeline to the farming community, saying: "We're here, and we will listen to your troubles."

PAULINE HAWKINS takes a look at the work of the Samaritans.

FARMERS are being classed as high-risk suicide groups and the Samaritans are now manning telephones 24 hours a day to deal with calls.

The potential loss of their livelihoods and the spiralling threat of the unseen enemy which could result in entire herds or flocks having to be culled may prove too much for some to bear.

Bill, the anonymous name used by the director of Pendle, Burnley and Rossendale Samaritans, said: "It is a desperate time for them. It is very difficult farming around here anyway, and the hill farmers are struggling to make a living. We are in the process of sending out letters to as many of the farming people in our district as we can, just to say we are there.

"We have not got the answers to anything but, after 47 years of doing what we do, we know that it does help to talk.

"Sometimes it is difficult to talk to your nearest and dearest and people often do not want to express the fears they have to their family or friends.

"We have not got any soapbox. We are a non-religious organisation, which often causes confusion because we are called the Samaritans.

"We are purely there to listen and between us and Blackburn we have more than 200 volunteers trained to listen.

"We do not give advice at all, simply because we are not qualified to do so."

When a despairing telephone caller makes contact, the Samaritan will gently try to find out how the caller feels -- how the problem is affecting their life, their relationship with their partner and/or children, and how bad the problem is.

They always ask whether the caller is suicidal, although they may not always use that expression.

Bill said: "If someone says they are suicidal we discuss the different options. I have found people are under such tremendous pressure it is very difficult to see clearly what is happening. Often they cannot see the wood for the trees.

"They can lay it all out in front of them and perhaps see things a little more clearly.

"Perhaps some of their thoughts are so terrible that they don't want to burden the family. With us they are able to talk to a friendly stranger and there is no need to divulge names.

"The fact they have rung us is confidential and they can say what they like."

The Pendle, Burnley and Rossendale branch of the Samaritans serves a catchment area of about 245,000 people.

Its office is at 15 Market Square, Nelson, and the doors are open to people who want to talk through their problems face-to-face with a Samaritan from 9am until 10pm. When Bill first became a volunteer 14 years ago, quite a number of people contacted the office in person. Now, maybe because of the arrival of mobile phones and cheap rate evening and weekend calls, more people opt to contact the volunteers by phone.

Bill said: "Last year we took 40,000 calls in our centre in Market Square, Nelson -- that works out at a call every 13 minutes. If anything was needed to prove the value of the Samaritan service, those figures are the answer.

"Our volunteers, at the very least, give comfort to someone going through a bad time and we know that often we are able to help our callers to find a reason for living."

The charity is always keen to hear from potential volunteers who should ideally be aged 18 and over, there is no upper age limit and you should be non-judgmental, easy-going and sympathetic.

USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS/WEB ADDRESS

The Samaritans of Pendle, Burnley and Rossendale:

Nelson: 01282 694929

Rossendale: 01706 830999

The Samaritans of Blackburn: 01254 662424

National Samaritans number: 0845 790 9090

Textphone calls (for the deaf, hard of hearing and speech impaired only: 0845 790 9192

For more information about the charity and its work visit the web site.

Official Samaritans web site