Samaritans of Aberystwyth and Mid Wales celebrated fifty years of continuous service in the town with a reception at Medrus Mawr, Aberystwyth University this month.

The celebration on 10 February marked the exact anniversary of the branch opening in 1976.

Current and former volunteers, civic leaders and other guests listened to brief presentations on the history and current work of the Branch, and its hopes for the future. Messages of congratulation were received from Elin Jones and Ben Lake.

An original artwork, ‘Aber Samaritans’ by local artist Lizzie Spikes was unveiled by Elise, the Branch’s youngest volunteer, and an impressive cake baked by Graham, a listening volunteer and former Branch Director, was cut to mark the occasion.

The Samaritans’ busy week continued on Friday 13 February, when First Minister Eluned Morgan made an informal visit to the Branch’s office in Harbour House, Y Lanfa, to learn more about how it operates, and to meet some volunteers.

Branch Co-Director Frances said “The First Minister arranged her visit at short notice after hearing about our 50th Anniversary, and she was very interested in how we work in Aberystwyth and Mid Wales”.

The week’s events kicked off a year of celebration, in which the Branch hopes to raise its profile in Aberystwyth and Mid Wales, and recruit more volunteers.

Samaritans’ vision is that fewer people die by suicide.

After training, volunteers in Aberystwyth operate the national English language telephone helpline (116 123) for nine shifts each week, and the Welsh language helpline (0808 164 0123) on Thursday evenings.

Not all callers are suicidal, although many are in severe distress. The focus is on empathetic listening without judgement, without giving advice.

They are always looking for more listening volunteers, particularly those who are willing to work in the late evening and overnight. You can find out more at Samaritans.org/branches/Aberystwyth/