Samaritans - with two Cork branches - says current Irish and UK model is not 'sustainable'

Samaritans branches across UK and Ireland could be set to close as the company says the current model is “not sustainable”, with the future uncertain for the charity’s two Cork offices.

The charity, which has been running in Ireland since 1961, sees volunteers speak to caller through its freephone phone helpline, email, face-to-face support and outreach in communities, schools, festivals and prisons.

In Ireland, Samaritans have 16 branches and over 1,500 volunteers who answer some 450,000 calls a year, with two Cork branches – one in the city centre and one in Clonakilty, which opened just two years ago.

Some branches are set to close while others will be scaled up in an effort to increase capacity and volunteer numbers while reducing wait times.

The charity is now set to undertake a review over several years with branches across the UK and Ireland, with the timeline of this review expected to be seven to 10 years.

Volunteers have been told that under the proposals it is likely to be around half of branches closed, but they plan to listen to volunteer feedback over the next few months.

Julie Bentley, CEO of Samaritans, told The Echo: “Samaritans provides a life-saving service, day and night, 365 days a year but the changing needs of our callers and volunteers means thinking differently about the way our services need to work.

“We are engaging with our volunteers on proposed improvements that will mean we are able to answer more calls, have more volunteers on duty, and be there for more people in their darkest moments.

“Samaritans volunteers are hugely dedicated to being there for our callers and they remain at the heart of our service, but it has become increasingly clear that having over 200 branches, varying in size from 10 to 300 volunteers, is not sustainable and hinders us providing the best possible service to people who need us.” 

 When announcing the opening of a second Cork office in 203, Jon Spencer, branch director of Cork Samaritans, said: “The opening of West Cork Samaritans in Clonakilty will be a tremendous opportunity for our volunteers to expand our service and reach out to a greater number of callers.”