Samaritans facing volunteer exodus over proposed branch closures

More than 200 Samaritans volunteers have said they would resign if the charity votes to close more than 100 branches, a move set to be decided at a trustees meeting this weekend. Unveiled in July, the plan would shutter at least half of the charity’s UK and Ireland branches, with volunteers redirected to larger offices or answering calls from home as the charity experiments a remote-working model. Samaritans says the changes are intended to increase access to volunteers and reduce wait times for callers.

Supporters contend the changes are necessary to modernize the service and ensure more calls are answered, pointing to new remote-working options and centralized operations. In a statement, the charity said the proposals would mean “we can answer more calls, cut wait times and make it easier for people to volunteer with us.”

But opposition has spread across branches. The list of branches that would close has not been released, and critics warn the move could fracture local networks that have long supported the charity’s presence in communities. James Watkins, a volunteer from Rhyl, Denbighshire, said the plan would erode the charity’s connection to the communities it serves. "Our branch has been going for over 50 years and our connections with our community has grown and grown," he said. He estimated Rhyl’s branch has 40 to 50 volunteers, and said most, if not all, would leave if the branch closed. A survey he organized across Wales drew 210 responses, with about three-quarters of respondents saying they would not relocate to a different branch and the same proportion saying they would not be interested in remote volunteering.

Isle of Wight volunteer Mark Watkins, who has worked with the branch for 17 years, criticized the remote-working plan as insufficiently tested and called it “airy fairy” in its effect on recruitment. He said his branch’s 65 volunteers would likely not continue if the local office closed, noting that shifts in the middle of the night require support from nearby colleagues. The charity says remote volunteering is already being piloted and, if approved, would be offered as an option alongside in-branch volunteering.

Colm Martin, a volunteer at London’s Kingston branch for five years, described a mood of “despair and disillusionment” among staff and supporters. He said there had been little listening to frontline volunteers and pointed to what he called a lack of evidence supporting the changes, including an app rollout and an internal email system that critics say has caused problems. Martin and others signed a letter from seven branch directors urging the trustees to remove the chairman, Keith Leslie, at a late-October meeting. They argued that concerns were not being fully heard and warned that implementation of the current plans could harm the organization.

Almost 150 branches are independent organisations, responsible for most of their fundraising locally and receiving little direct financial support from Samaritans’ headquarters. Some branches have been gifted offices by local partners, and their closure could benefit the charity’s central operations financially; critics say this creates another source of discontent among volunteers who feel local impact is being undervalued. The Samaritans’ chief executive acknowledged the concerns but emphasized that the charity has been listening. "We have been listening to feedback from our 23,000 volunteers throughout this process and this will be considered carefully in the final decision making," the executive said, adding that the charity’s life-saving work remains essential and that collaboration is needed to meet future challenges.

If the plan is approved, the first branch closures in the United Kingdom are slated to begin in April, with Ireland following in 2027, followed by a gradual reduction over the coming decade. The charity maintains that the shift would ultimately enable it to respond to more calls and attract new volunteers, even as critics warn of the real-world toll on local communities.

The debate unfolds as Samaritans seeks to balance a mission to provide round-the-clock support with a strategy to scale its operations in a changing volunteer landscape. The organization stresses that it remains committed to helping those in distress while navigating questions about how best to deliver its services in the 21st century.

If you are suffering distress or despair, details of help and support in the UK are available at BBC's Action Line.