Samaritans Liverpool receiving King's Award on 65th birthday
A service is being held at the Liver Building
Samaritans Liverpool and Merseyside is celebrating its 65th birthday in style... by receiving the King's Award for voluntary service!
A service is being held at the Liver Building today (1 March) - the Lord Mayor and Mayoress of Liverpool be there alongside the Mayor and Mayoress of Wirral and the Mayor of Sefton.
It was on this day 65 years ago when the branch received its first call in the crypt at Liverpool Parish Church.
The charity now has more than 180 volunteers who provide round-the-clock emotional support from their base on Clarence Street.
Among them is 98-year-old Joan Morle from Formby, who has been an active member of the branch for 50 years.
Joan said:
"To have been going for 65 years is a wonderful achievement.
"I got involved after speaking to a a mum-of-three on the street where I live, who left the house every other Tuesday morning.
"Eventually, I asked her: ‘Where on earth do you go on a Tuesday?’ She told me: ‘I’m a Samaritan’ – and I thought, ‘That’s a nice thing to do.'
"Mental health issues used to be very much hidden away but things have changed over the years and I think callers are more open these days.
"But the one thing that's always stayed the same is the importance of listening."
Last year, Samaritans Liverpool and Merseyside was named as a recipient of the King's Award for Voluntary Service - the equivalent of an MBE and the highest honour a voluntary group can receive.
Merseyside's Lord-Lieutenant Mark Blundell will present the King's Award to branch director Helen Gilbert at the service.