CHILDLINE founder Esther Rantzen made a rallying cry for volunteers in a visit to North Wales.
The veteran broadcaster met with staff and volunteers at the Prestatyn base on January 25 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the service and called for residents to step up and provide a listening ear.
Speaking from the base she said: “I’m meeting as many of our staff and volunteers as I can to thank them for all the work they’ve done for us.
The people at Prestatyn always strike me as being terribly committed to their work.
“There’s a fantastic team here. They do need more volunteers to join them. We only ask for four hours a week and wee will supply the training. We especially need people on weekday afternoons and Saturday evenings to help children on the phone and online.”
The confidential, free 24 hour helpline has been providing support and advice across the UK for a quarter of a century, and last year, the Prestatyn base received over 28,000 contacts from children from across the UK, either by phone or through its online service.
Mrs Rantzen said: “ChildLine is a vital life line for thousands of young people who desperately need support and advice with problems they dare not share with anyone else, such as bullying, self-harm, sexual and physical abuse and depression.
“Up till now, many children had to try many times before they could get through to ChildLine.
“It makes me especially proud in our 25th anniversary year that we can say, for the first time in ChildLine’s history, we can now answer almost every call the first time a child rings.”
Ann Pulling, ChildLine Service Manager at the Prestatyn base, said: “We urgently need people to fill all shifts. You don’t need to have formal training or qualifications in counselling to apply as we will provide full training to all successful applicants.
“All you need is a commitment to children and young people, an open mind and an ability to listen and support young people who need to talk.”
For more information visit www.nspcc.org.uk.