Dr. Mayers and Samaritans believe in the value of allowing people who are distressed, depressed, despairing, or suicidal, the space and the opportunity to freely express and explore their emotions in confidence, and without judgement.

Samaritans and Bournemouth University are in discussions about Samaritans having a presence in a Well-Being unit at Bournemouth University, to provide emotional support to staff and to students at the Bournemouth Campus.

Samaritans Bournemouth & District and Bournemouth University will be issuing joint press releases and leaflets throughout the year that provide advice from mental health professionals at Bournemouth University, focussing on different aspects of feelings of distress, depression, despair, or suicide within vulnerable people.

The first of these will focus on sleep.

A lack of sleep is often associated with feelings of distress, depression, despair, or suicidal feelings, and the quality of a persons sleep can affect their emotional state. Dr. Andrew Mayers of Bournemouth University provides the following advice:

• promoting good sleep
• how to cope with problems getting to sleep
• informing people about how sleep, distress and poor mood can interact.

For example, if people are already seeing their GP about stress they also need to tell the doctor if they are sleeping poorly. GPs often prescribe medications to improve mood and anxiety, without considering the effect that some of these have on sleep.

Run begins at 11am, registration/warm up from 10am at Bournemouth Pier.

Entry Fees: £5.00 adults and children over 14
£2.00 children aged 8-13 years

Places are limited, so please enter as soon as possible to ensure your place in the run.

Download Sponsorship Form

Download Entry Form

We look forward to seeing you there!

To donate, please visit our Virgin Money Giving page.

Or alternatively, go to www.virginmoneygiving.com and search for ‘Bournemouth Samaritans’.

                          On Saturday 2^nd July 2011

            Fun Run – notes and recommendations

- These Run notes and recommendations apply to participation in

      The Bournemouth Pier to Boscombe Pier Fun Run 2011

1. Participants must be aged between 8yrs – Adult on 2^nd July 2011.
2. Entry forms of participants under the age of eighteen must be signed /countersigned by a parent/guardian.
3. Each entrant should be prepared to sign a disclaimer and declare that they are medically fit to take part.
4. Each entrant should complete a separate form. A photocopied form is acceptable. We can register people on the day if places are available provided you arrive no later than 10am. (Cheques only please)
5. The Fun Run is open to wheelchair users.
6. Registration / warm up on the day from 10am at the Start site near Bournemouth Pier.
7. Preparation – Try to get at least two weeks preparation in before the event. Walking at first then combine a jog and a walk.
8. Before and after the run   -   Make sure you eat breakfast, stay hydrated & drink plenty of water beforehand. Warm up slowly then gently stretch your muscles. Gently cool down after the run instead of stopping abruptly.
9. Staggered starts of 50 people will take place every 15 minutes from 11am onwards.
10. Please send in all sponsorship money collected by: 12^th August 2011.
11. If participants decide to wear fancy dress, it will be their own responsibility to ensure that their costume is appropriate for the run and does not present any hazard to themselves, other participants or members of the public. If you do not want to wear fancy dress might we suggest you wear something green!
12. Marshals – participants must follow instructions / advice of the six marshals along route. If you have any difficulties please report to a marshal or one of the organisers who will help you. There will be First Aiders available.

The Route  

    Aspects of the route participants need to consider:

-         Keep to the promenade at all times

-         Car parking metres

-         Do not enter onto the service road or car parks

-         Ongoing building works (ladders, signs etc)

-         Seafront ‘Land Train’

-         Service / Emergency vehicles

-         Keep clear of food stalls / non food stalls

-         Presence of other promenade users

-         Uneven surfaces/slopes/ pathway edges

-         Spillages on the pathway

-         Obstacles in your path

-         Keep to your own level of physical ability

-         Stay hydrated and protected from the sun

Photographer – All photos taken on the day will be used solely for publicity by Bournemouth and District Samaritans. If anyone has an objection to this, they must tell us on their register form beforehand.

 A map will be provided shortly showing the position of the start / assembly point & finish site, car parks, toilets, Marshal Stations, first aid posts & Samaritan gazebos / van.

A Full Risk Assessment is available on request.

Lots of great prizes and a raffle on the night

Friends of Bournemouth Samaritans present a QUIZ NIGHT with lots of great prizes and a raffle on the night

27th April 2010 at 7.15pm for 7.30pm

at the Wessex Hotel, West Cliff Road, Bournemouth

For tickets at £5 each apply to: Bournemouth Samaritans, 1 Durrant Road Bournemouth BH2 6LE or pay at the door.

Put this date in your diary, make up a team of 2 – 6 people, have a great night out and help to raise much needed funds for this essential service.

On the 3rd Tuesday of every month, two Samaritan volunteers are available in the vestry of the Lymington United Reform Church, between the hours of 10AM and 12 Noon for anyone who would find it helpful to talk to us in confidence.

This is a new project for Samaritans, as part of our new policy of proactively engaging with the local community. The project started in July 2009, and as people become more aware of our presence, we hope that people will take the opportunity to use this new service, and we can extend the project.

Janet Isaac, Director of Samaritans Bournemouth & District, said that initiatives such as this allow us to provide our non-judgemental and confidential service to more and more emotionally distressed or vulnerable people within the local community we support, and to reach people who may not have approached us for support in the past.

During 2008, 107 volunteers at Samaritans Bournemouth & District gave emotional support to over 17000 people who needed to talk to someone because they were feeling distressed, despairing, or suicidal. To provide this service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year requires committed, well-trained, and well-supported volunteers, said Janet Isaac. We do not receive any kind of Government grant, or charitable funding from national organisations such as the lottery.

If you would like to contribute some of your time, or make a donation to Samaritans Bournemouth & District, please call 01202 551 999, or visit http://bournemouthsamaritans.org.uk.

Samaritans offers 24 hour support to anyone who is distressed but feels unable to talk to family, teachers or friends.

Stress about exams and exam results is one of the top reasons young people contact Samaritans and the emotional support charity is here to listen in confidence 24 hours a day to students waiting with bated breath for exam results over the next few weeks.

Hip hop group N-Dubz front girl Tulisa, a Samaritans supporter, said: “Try not to put too much pressure on yourself; everyone is different and not everyone is going to get top grades in their exams. There are so many options out there for people – a variety of college courses to suit people with different academic abilities and career aspirations. I found school really difficult as I suffered depression as teenager but then I found my ambition was singing and realised it was something I could be good at so I worked hard and focused on that.”

The build up to exam results can be a time filled with tension as young people contemplate their futures. Panic, anxiety, fear, guilt and despair are just some of the emotions that might be running through the minds of students. Managing these feelings can seem impossible, especially without the emotional release of having someone to talk and offload to.

Tonja Schmidt, spokesperson for Samaritans, said: “We need to move away from this fixation with exam results being the single most important factor in determining a young person’s future success. Everyone has different skills and gifts and young people need to be reassured that there are a variety of different options available to them in life.

“It is also important that young people have the knowledge to identify potential signs of stress in themselves, so that they can take steps to improve their emotional health and seek support or help others to access it if they need it. Samaritans is there to offer support 24 hours a day to anyone who is distressed but feels unable to talk to family, teachers or friends.”

Samaritans has recently produced an online emotional health resource to help young people spot signs of stress in themselves and their friends. It offers guidance on how they can tell someone if they are struggling emotionally, how they can approach friends who they are worried about and things they can do to try and maintain good emotional health.

An alternative version of the resource has also been developed for professionals working with young people to help them identify signs that might indicate a young person is in distress and how they can direct them to help and support.

Both resources can be downloaded on the Samaritans’ website: www.samaritans.org/emotionalhealth

If you require hard copies of the emotional health resources mentioned please contact Claire Duncan Email c.duncan@samaritans.org, Tel: 0208 394 8345.

Emotional support charity Samaritans is urging anyone concerned about financial pressures or job security to get in contact to talk through any problems and fears that they may not be able to share with family, friends or employers.

The charity is aware that people are experiencing financial worries and distress related to the on-going credit crisis. Samaritans volunteers are on hand night and day, up and down the country, to offer confidential, non-judgemental support to anyone experiencing any kind of emotional distress.

Samaritans Central London branch has experienced a 25% increase in calls during August and September this year compared to the same months last year.

Shaun Kelly, Outreach and Communications Co-coordinator at Central London branch said:” Samaritans regularly receives calls from people worried about financial issues and debt and recently we have been speaking to individuals concerned about the credit crunch and the latest fears of recession.

“Debt is known to contribute to emotional distress and sometimes people in financial difficulty can consider suicide as a way out of the situation that they are in. It is really important for people to talk to somebody about how they are feeling rather than keeping worries to themselves, in order to find a positive way forward.”

Samaritans is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via telephone, email, or face to face contact for anyone in need of emotional support. Anyone worried about financial problems can phone Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90, by email on jo@samaritans.org or face to face – visit www.samaritans.org to find details for your local branch.

The Bournemouth Air Show was a huge success for the Bournemouth Samaritans as well as the event organisers and the weather played a big part in this. At any one time there were hundreds of thousands of people about.

We had a really good position near Bournemouth Pier (although we had a bouncy castle right in front of us!!) and had a lot of interest in what we do. We had many ‘callers’, a number of people interested in becoming a volunteer and collected a bit of money, which is a great bonus as the focus for this kind of event is not primarily fundraising.

Many people took advantage of our chairs to have a sit down, especially on the Saturday when it was really hot and our volunteers took these opportunities to talk to them. Hundreds of people took our literature away with them and it is a shame that there is no way or measuring or evaluating what impact this has, but it can only be good.

The actual air displays were a bonus and were incredible from WW2 memorial flights of a Lancaster bomber, Spitfires and Hurricane aircraft, the Red Arrows and many others, including bi-planes with girls riding on the wings and waving, even when they turned upside down!

Thanks to all those who took time out of the festivities to make our time at the show really worthwhile!

Don’t forget, if you would like to help out as a Samaritan volunteer (there are different kinds of volunteer role available) you can apply for more information through this website

Bournemouth Samaritans are supporting the Bournemouth Air Festival this weekend. Come and say hello, while you’re enjoying the festivities!

The inaugural More Bus Bournemouth Air Festival is set to dazzle crowds in 2008. The FREE four day spectacular is set against the backdrop of Bournemouth’s seven miles of award-winning beaches, beautiful bay and glorious gardens.

* AMAZING AIR DISPLAYS – from classic flying machines to modern day speed machines!
* SEA DISPLAYS
* INTERACTIVE STATIC DISPLAYS
* FIREWORKS
* FAMILY FUN ATTRACTIONS
* MUSIC & LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

Bournemouth’s first air festival is set to be the biggest event in the town’s history. With so many display teams taking part, including a record three appearances by the Red Arrows, planning ahead is the only way to keep abreast of the action is to pick up a programme.

Programmes are currently being sold at the Daily Echo offices at Richmond Hill, Bournemouth, and at the Dolphin Centre, Poole. They are also available from Bournemouth’s Visitor Information Centre in Westover Road and from Borders book shop in the Square.Times vary from day to day pick up the programme for details.

Find out more www.bournemouthair.co.uk

Here at Bournemouth & District Samaritans we have hard-working volunteers from all walks of life using their own skills to make life as a Samaritan volunteer more rewarding than ever.

We really pleased to share with you that our website has been highly commended by many of our fellow branches including our firends at the Central London Branch, who have just completed working on their own version of our website.

Our efforts online have been noticed by our fellow branches who in their own words “don’t need to re-invent such a great wheel”, in reference to this website.

Thanks for keeping up with our news and events. We’ll be adding new features to the website in the coming months as it proves it’s usefulness in raising awareness of the Samaritans organisation and the services we provide in this increasingly more digital age.

If you’d like to volunteer in Bournemouth, getting involved couldn’t be easier! You can now apply online to find out more about what you could do to help. Alternatively, give us a call.