Thank you!  For visiting the Malcolm Winspur /     

Tunbridge Wells & District Samaritans page.

Hi there!

Having succesfully completed a sponsored non-stop 100km trek along the South Downs in 25 hours last year, the 29th National Samaritan Walk, at 40km, promised to be a stroll in the park, until we started to train again and found how easy it is to lose match fitness! Still, it made it easy for me to persuade one of the 2007 team to join me when I first saw the walk advertised on the Samaritan noticeboard in January 2008.

So, in June I will be heading North to join up with Graham and together we will tackle the walk, known as the 40km Ruby Ring on the North Yorkshire Moors (so plenty of ups and downs!) to bring in funds for the Tunbridge Wells & District  branch of Samaritans.

The branch opened in 1967, and from its Lime Hill Road base it covers a substantial area of the south east, stretching from Burwash to Sevenoaks, and from Cranbrook to East Grinstead.

Today its 120 volunteers (there are no paid staff) offer confidential, emotional support by telephone, email and face to face. Contacts increased last year by 5% to over 48,000 (that's 11 every two hours, every day).

To support those experiencing distress, crises or dispair, Samaritans are available any time, day or night on any day of the year. Callers can talk for as long as they need, they are not judged or told what to do.

Samaritans also aim to increase public awareness of issues concerning suicide and depression, and the Tunbridge Wells branch has an active programme running workshops in local schools. It  is also involved with the service operated by Maidstone branch to support inmates at the local prison and East Sutton Park.

In 2008, in addition to continuing to provide its service at an approximate cost of £70 per day, the branch hopes to carry out some refurbishment works at its premises to help meet the needs upon it and its volunteers.

You do not have to be suicidal to call Samaritans - just in need of a sympathetic, listening ear. Tel: 08457 909090 or visit www.samaritans.org.

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. Justgiving.com do receive approximately 10% of your donation to cover the costs of providing this service, but is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: there is less administrative work for the Samaritans volunteers who would otherwise be dealing with cash and cheques arriving from different sources. Samaritans also gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

So please sponsor me now!

Malcolm

Change Someone's Life.......................your own. Volunteer for Samaritans today!

Telephone 08705 627282 or visit www.samaritans.org for details