A leading charity is urging people to follow the example of a West Lothian woman and become one of its volunteers.
Childline Glasgow, run by UK-wide child charity NSPCC, urgently needs new volunteers to become counsellors on their free helpline.
The service saw a 40 per cent reduction in the number of volunteers during the pandemic because many people had to isolate to protect themselves or family and were unable to attend the Glasgow centre.
Sandra Gordon (63) from West Calder, became a volunteer Childline counsellor in 1999 after a work colleague, who was already a counsellor, told her how rewarding it is.
After seeing an advert for volunteers Sandra went to a recruitment event in Glasgow and signed up that day.
She said: “At the recruitment event, a lady who had been volunteering for many years told us how much she enjoyed it and that it makes a real difference and I thought yes, I’d like to sign up.
“What struck me was it was people from all walks of life, and you didn’t just have to be a mum with kids, so I felt encouraged to see it through.”
Sandra doesn’t mind travelling to Glasgow for her weekly shift because it’s so worthwhile.
She said: “Young people’s challenges have changed so much from when I started, due to social media and the internet.
“It’s one of the things I love about the role – you learn something every day.
“They don’t know who I am, so it feels like such a privilege when they want to share what’s happening with them.
“We make sure they feel listened to and help them to realise they are not to blame. And if they’re not ready to share what’s happened, that’s also OK, we can go at their pace. We tell them we will be here if they do ever want to talk about what’s upsetting them.”
Supervisors are always on hand to work with the counsellors to make sure the young person gets the right support, and sometimes this can ultimately save a young person’s life.
Sandra said: “The support and guidance from supervisors is second to none. They know exactly what they’re doing, how to engage and who to contact in an emergency, so we can reassure the young person that we’ll get the right support and help for them.”
Additional volunteers are desperately needed so the charity can continue to be there for children 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The NSPCC provides full training, so it does not matter what a person’s background is because volunteers are equipped with the skills they need.
Childline Glasgow team manager, Margaret Anne McKay, said: “This is not only an opportunity to do something really worthwhile, it’s also great for personal growth and development and it’s an impressive thing to add to someone’s CV.”
Counsellors are asked to commit to one four-and-a-half-hour shift per week (or 40 shifts a year) and to attend all initial training sessions, regular development workshops and supervisions.
The minimum age to apply is 16 and volunteers must be fluent in English.
If you are interested in volunteering, email: volunteerrecruitment@nspcc.org.uk
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