Rochdale AFC are proud and delighted to be supporting Samaritans.
Samaritans carry out incredible work in supporting anyone in emotional distress, something we are proud to supporting, especially during the difficult times many are currently facing.
Rochdale, Oldham and District Samaritans have the following message:
Rochdale, Oldham and District Samaritans is your local branch of Samaritans. Although we’re not open for face-to-face visits at the moment, we are most definitely still here to support anyone who needs some emotional support.
Whether you’re looking forward to going back to the Crown Oil Arena to follow Rochdale AFC or will be watching the live-streamed games, we know from our research that many people have increased feelings of anxiety, loneliness and isolation due to the impact of COVID-19. There’s no doubt that these uncertain and challenging times can affect our mental health and wellbeing.
Although we are physical isolated from one another, it is more crucial than ever to remain socially connected – and the return of ‘the beautiful game’ is something that must surely help to bring people together.
Samaritans volunteers are busy 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and that hasn’t changed during the pandemic. Many callers are who are worried about coronavirus also talk about other related issues, such as isolation, mental ill-health, unemployment, and many other issues. We know that three groups of people at an already high risk of suicide: middle-aged men, young people and those with pre-existing mental health conditions, have been particularly impacted by the pandemic and lockdown.
So please keep our number – 116123 – and our email address – jo@samaritans.org – in a safe place should you ever need to contact us, or pass on our details to someone who you think might need some support. It might take us a little longer to answer the phone at the moment, but we are still there for those who are struggling to cope, so please bear with us.
We are already missing not being able to come to a game with our Samaritans cards and collecting buckets and have a chat to you, but hopefully this will change at some point in the not-too-distant future.
With best wishes to all Dale supporters from all the volunteers at Rochdale, Oldham and District Samaritans.