24-hour Cork branch of Samaritans seeks new volunteers

Cork Samaritans is launching a recruitment drive to ensure the only 24-hour branch outside of Dublin continues to operate around the clock.

The branch said it was seeking new volunteers because of a growing demand for its services, led by the 30% increase in caller numbers since the introduction of freephone number 116123.

Last year, Cork Samaritans dealt with more than 67,000 calls to its branch, either by direct visits, through text message and email, and the majority through telephone contact.