History of the Branch

Founding

The Worcester branch of Samaritans grew from a Clinical Theology group set up at Powick Mental Hospital in 1961, a group of local clergymen, doctors and nurses. After a year they decided to loook for a new direction, and invited Chad Varah, who had founded the Samaritans 10 years earlier, to speak. One of the group, the Reverend Stephen Chase, who had trained with Chad and knew him well, was deputed to meet him at Shrub Hill Station. Unfortunately, he knew Worcester less well and they got lost on the way back, arriving in Powick with barely enough time for Chad to deliver his talk, and none at all for questions or discussion. Despite this inauspicious beginning, when Stephen returned from seeing Chad off, the others had decided to set up a group along Samaritans lines, and to ask Stephen to be the first Director. The new group was widely advertised in the local press explaining the services it would provide and asking for volunteers. At the same time an appeal for money was launched and £212 was raised. The branch is still entirely self-funding. In the second week the first training session was held (we still have a photo of this in the Training Room) and on 29 April the first Branch Meeting took place, attended by 48 volunteers. From the end of April until August an average of 10 volunteers per week were interviewed. The branch was opened on 3 October 1963, with a grand opening ceremony, where the branch was represented with the one millionth telephone to be installed in the P.O. Mildland Region, and the Bishop of Worcester made the first call to the new emergency line, Worcester 21121.

Onwards and upwards!

The branch went from strength to strength, attracting up to 120 volunteers, and manning the phones full-time, 24/7, until very recently. However, the difficulty all voluntary organisations now experience in attracting new volunteers has been balanced by the advances in new technology which make it possible for branches to share calls and close at certain times, while ensuring there is always someone to listen to callers - 24/7! The branch now does far more than the founders envisaged. In addition to the basic telephone, face-to-face and correspondence services we now have email befriending, will soon have a texting service, and there is a constantly evolving variety of outreach activities.

The building

The branch has occupied four buildings in the 47 years of it's life:-

No.34 The Tything	1963-1973
No.20 The Tything	1973-1976
No.9 Sansome Place	1976-present
No.9a Sansome Place	c1980-present

No. 34 The Tything was headquarters of the Worcester St. John's Ambulance, and the branch rented the top floor at a peppercorn rent. However, the premises were not really suitable, especially for callers at the door, so we moved across the road to No. 20, opposite, which was part of the Nurses' Institute. This arrangement worked well until the Health Authority was reorganised, and Samritans were given notice. No. 20 The Tything eventually became part of the old Kays building. The branch purchased No. 9 Sansome Place, one of a row of late 17th century terraced houses, and a listed building. It was refurbished and has since been remodelled several times, but the Operations Room remains in its original position. Space was tight, so in the early 1980's the adjoining building was aquired. This was a workshop behind No. 9 and part of it, but accessed via a separate passageway, with the entrance next to the front door of No. 9. This was extensively remodelled into two large rooms, which provided the necessary admin and meeting areas. The two buildings slot together beautifully, but present something of a maze for new volunteers.