Who do you talk to when you have no one to talk to? For years, that’s been a question without an answer. Steve Richards, of Gloucestershire Nightline, hopes he can help.
The Nightline was founded by Steve in late 2021. He had the idea the previous year, after seeing the effect that the pandemic had on students and their mental health. As he was taking his MSc in Psychology, he wanted to do some volunteering work and genuinely make a difference in the community. After a year of research and planning, the first shift went ahead on October 1, 2021.
The organisation is funded by the Student Union, and is part of the Nightline Association, which regulates over 100 Nightlines at universities around the UK. The service runs from 8PM to 8AM on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Students volunteer with the Nightline, and are given full training. The service is fully confidential, and follows protocols set out by the Samaritans.
For a lot of younger people, the Samaritans aren’t really a relevant organisation. The nightline helps to fill that gap, and as it’s a student-staffed organisation, you can speak to someone similar to you. For this reason, Steve doesn’t answer calls, but he does manage the organisation and trains volunteers.
After retiring from his career as an engineer, Steve started doing voluntary work for charities. His work focuses on young people, and the Nightline was a perfect fit for him.
“We’re aiming for a balance between listening and giving too much advice,” Steve says. The Nightline is designed to deal with issues from loneliness to stress and homesickness; but isn’t intended to give advice. It’s more of a friendly ear to listen, and make you feel seen. “The most common topics are mental health issues & academic stress,” Steve added.
As an organisation, Nightline aims to be more of a ‘listening service’. They practice active listening, and try to guide people instead of openly telling them what to do. There are protocols for suicidal callers, and staff can call the emergency services if they deem it necessary.
If you’d like to get involved, and really make a difference like Steve, Nightline is currently recruiting. They ran an information evening earlier in the week, and training starts on January 24.
If you need someone to talk to, the number for Nightline is 01242 714777. An instant messaging service is also live now at https://portal.nightline.ac.uk/im/glos_IM
