Macclesfield and District Samaritans are celebrating turning 60 years old this year. 

With more than 100 volunteers, Macclesfield Samaritans have been providing emotional support to the local community, and nationwide, since 1963 and to mark the occasion of their 60th anniversary, they have donated 5 "listening" park benches to West Park, Macclesfield.  

The benches were purchased following the gift of a legacy which was left to Macclesfield Samaritans. 

Each of the five park benches are inscribed with a quote, chosen by the Macclesfield Samaritan volunteers. Each quote recognises the power of listening and also aims to encourage people to talk and share their worries. It is hoped these "listening" park benches will be enjoyed by the community whilst raising awareness of the work and presence of Samaritans in Macclesfield. The benches also recognise the service of the volunteers, who give up their spare time each week to help others.  

The volunteers will also be celebrating their birthday by hosting a stall at the Treacle Market on 24 September, where they will be sharing coffee and cakes with the local community.

They want to celebrate with the community in Macclesfield who are very supportive of their work and want to use this as an opportunity to continue raising awareness of what they do.

Macclesfield Branch Director, Zoe Smith, said: "We are so pleased to reach this milestone. Without our wonderful volunteers from the local community, we would not be able to offer the help and support we give to so many who are finding life tough and who need a confidential listening ear. We don't provide answers, but we are there for everyone and we listen. By providing these benches in West Park, we hope we can raise the profile of Macclesfield Samaritans and assure the community that we are here to support them, no matter what."

The branch first opened its doors to the public in 1963, having premises initially in a room in the Macclesfield Football Supporters' Club. In those early days, the phone rarely rang and volunteers would sit for six hour shifts, waiting in anticipation of a call! Things have changed considerably since then.

In 2020, the branch moved from Boden Street to new premises in King Edward Street, where volunteers now take around 16,500 phone calls a year through their 24-hour helpline.

They also support the public through an email and online chat service. Remarkably, during the pandemic, despite volunteer numbers being reduced by up to 40% due to self isolation and shielding, the branch not only managed to move premises but also continued to deliver its round the clock support service, perhaps when they were needed most. It is testament to the commitment of the volunteers that the branch remained fully functional throughout this time. 

Not only do Macclesfield Samaritans provide emotional support to people who are struggling, their life-saving work also extends to helping others in the community. 

As well as offering a listening service to anyone having a difficult time or struggling to cope, Macclesfield Samaritans are actively involved in the wider community, through outreach work. Having established relationships with many schools in the local area, they support emotional health education through assembly talks and classroom workshops, having reached over 2,250 local young people in schools each year.

In addition Macclesfield Samaritans support the "Listener Scheme" which is a peer support system for prisoners in HM Prison Styal. These trained listeners save lives and reduce self-harm in prisons.

The hard working volunteers have also developed partnerships with Macclesfield Railway Station and other local stations including Wilmslow, Poynton, Congleton and Alderley Edge together with Network Rail, where volunteers work together with railway staff to reduce suicide on the railways.

Samaritans has 20,000 volunteers across 201 branches throughout the UK and Ireland. Every day, volunteers respond to around 10,000 calls for help and are available 24 hour a day, 365 days a year for anyone who needs support. 

Although Samaritans is a charity working across the UK and Ireland, many don't realise branches are self-funded.

This means that volunteers at Macclesfield Samaritans are also responsible for raising sufficient funds to run the branch. In the main, this is achieved through the Samaritans Charity shop on Pickford Street which is essential to branch. Every penny spent in the shop is used to fund the branch which includes rental costs and overheads as well as buying equipment and materials. The volunteers are exactly that - volunteers - and no one in the Macclesfield branch receives payment; they simply freely give their time, day after day. 

If you would like to show you support by giving the Macclesfield Samaritans a 60th birthday present, to help the branch continue supporting those in distress, you can donate £5 by texting MACCSAMS to 70085.