A Midlothian volunteer has shared her joy after being told she has been nominated to attend the King’s garden party at the Palace of Holyrood.
Deborah Hughes, 46, who is a listening volunteer for charity Samaritans was told by the organisation's Edinburgh branch that she had been picked to go and meet King Charles III on July 4.
Deborah is a self confessed lover of the royal family and so was overjoyed when she was informed that her name had been pulled from a hat of several nominees that had been put forward.
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“I screamed a lot when I saw the email inviting me to attend, then immediately phoned every single family member and all my friends!”, said the Midlothian mum.
“I am a huge fan of the Royal Family. I visited Buckingham Palace the day after Queen Elizabeth passed away, then I was in the front row on the Royal Mile when the family walked up from Holyrood to St Giles’ Cathedral with The Queen’s coffin. I also paid my respects to Her Majesty in St Giles’.
“I’m looking forward to going into the grounds of Holyroodhouse, and of course, getting to see The King and Queen Consort. It will be one of his first events after the Coronation, so it feels very special to be a part of it.
“It will be wonderful to buy a hat, get dressed up and share such a lovely day out with my husband, Craig.”
Deborah works full-time in financial services and is mother to her nine-year-old son Jackson.
She joined Samaritans Scotland as a listening volunteer, working shifts around her job to provide emotional support to callers.
She added: “I had been thinking about getting involved in charity work for some time, but hadn’t found the right organisation.
“I always feel very lucky that I have a really good circle of friends and family around me and the thought of someone not having anyone to talk to makes me sad. I can talk and I can listen, so why not do something to help other people? I saw an appeal for volunteers for Samaritans and decided to put myself forward.
“I started my training in November 2021 and took my first real call in January 2022, so I am very new to the role and still learning on every shift.
“I have a full-time job, a family and various hobbies so the most challenging is finding the time to do the shifts, however, I have a very supportive employer who allows me to flex my hours to fit shifts and my husband is an amazing support.
“When on shift I find the most challenging thing is not knowing what is coming, you answer that call and you have no idea what the person is going to say, but as I do more shifts it is becoming a little easier.”
Deborah would encourage anyone looking to volunteer to consider Samaritans.
She added: “I get a real sense of making a difference after every shift, just being a voice on the other end of a phone can have such a positive impact on the caller. It is often very apparent and the caller will tell you that – that’s why I do the role.”
Samaritans listening volunteers are available 24/7 on 116 123 or via jo@samaritans.org.
More information is available at their website here.
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