The good Samaritan

As festivals fast approach and we all suffer our first sunburn of the year, it’s an opportunity to reflect on the diverse range of people and organisations you can find in the middle of those muddy fields.

In particular we want to draw your attention to an organisation called ‘Samaritans’, who you might have seen sitting around with their bright green logo in the midst of festivals.

One of our operations team has been volunteering for Samaritans for over a year now and between the 2am shifts there and TheTicketSeller’s 24 hour phone line she claims to be very used to anti-social hours. During that year she has seen first-hand the difference it can make simply to have somebody who will listen and not judge whilst you talk through your problems.

After first joining Samaritans she told us that they have a festival team who go out to around 18 festivals per year offering emotional support whether rain or shine. Samaritans’ vision is that fewer people die by suicide and it might initially appear a bit bizarre to see them hanging around with their wellies and sun cream whilst the likes of Kanye West make a scene in the background.

However, sometimes people go to festivals to escape their problems and sometimes they find new ones in-between artists. In a place with so many happy, excited (and often drunk) festival goers it can be difficult to know where to go if you’re feeling a bit out of it. This is where Samaritans come in. As trained listeners they won’t judge (even on your taste in music!) and are happy to discuss anything that’s going on with you, big or small. Complete confidence means just that with Samaritans - you can share your worries and go back to the festival fun knowing your cares and concerns will go no further than the organisation.

Samaritans go all over the UK to a range of festivals and you can read more about the organisation here. Look out for them at your next festival and just bear in mind that when something is bothering you, even if you’ve got a tent under one arm and a crate of beer the other, there’s always somebody who’s willing to listen.