The Maytree Respite Centre is a unique national charity offering a sanctuary to suicidal people in despair. We provide a safe residence, where volunteers and staff are available 24/7 to provide compassionate support to isolated individuals. Maytree provides confidential phone and email support to people suffering anxiety about suicide (including friends and family) and a short residential stay in a non-medical setting. Operating day and night, 365 days a year by an intensively trained team of volunteer befrienders and staff, our Centre is a modest terraced house – homely and welcoming with a peaceful garden and sunny kitchen-dining room. Guests are vulnerable, marginalised, isolated individuals suffering a suicidal crisis, who come from anywhere in the UK and pay nothing for their stay.
Maytree’s service provision of befriending relies on volunteers willing to train and offer their time. It takes a special individual to volunteer at Maytree, and expertise to recruit, train and support them. Volunteers are at the heart of what we do and their work is invaluable to people affected by isolation, alienation, deprivation and depression. Suicide in the UK is rising and the demand for our work is increasing. We need more volunteers to ensure that our Rota is full so we can deal with more enquiries and help more callers and guests. Over the year ahead we hope to recruit new volunteers, train and supporting them to work alongside the existing team. They will listen to and befriend people, answer the phones, welcome guests and deal with practical aspects of running the house. Although the work is demanding, evidence suggests that each volunteer's own well-being benefits and that they get a huge sense of satisfaction from being a part of Maytree's life-saving work. One said “As a volunteer I have met people with little hope and trust in life and it is beautiful to see how that can change during a short stay here. It is a challenging yet extremely rewarding process to be part of."
On behalf of The Maytree Respite Centre