My friend Alan Woodhouse, who has died aged 92, was the longest serving Samaritans volunteer in the history of the organisation, which offers support to anyone struggling to cope or at risk of taking their own lives.
Alan joined the Liverpool and Merseyside branch when it was founded in 1960, and was still answering telephones there 60 years later. He was appointed MBE for his service in 2017 and retired in 2020.
