Samaritans charity receives £2k funding boost from Mansfield law firm Banner Jones

The contribution will help the charity's Chesterfield branch deal with the increase in calls expected as a result of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

A national charity with dedicated branches across the UK, the Samaritans’ Chesterfield branch was established in 1971 to provide emotional support to anyone in emotional distress.

While all of the Samaritans services are provided by unpaid volunteers, it costs the charity about £200 to cover the cost for every new volunteer to build the skills they need to answer a call for help.

To help fund the necessary training, the charity relies heavily on donations and contributions from the community.

Jane Tweedy, Chesterfield Samaritans director, said: “We would like to thank Banner Jones for its contribution. We have been hit by the increasing costs in keeping the branch viable to support our callers.

“Being supported by a leading business means the world to us all and every penny will go towards supporting our callers both in the local community and nationally”.

Lauren Mahon, Banner Jones family solicitor, said: “As a firm, it’s very important to us to give back to the community, and we are delighted to have been able to provide a £2k contribution to the ongoing operational costs of the charity which will help to provide the necessary training to the volunteers who generously give up their time to help others.”

Melanie Hoffman, Banner Jones care solicitor, said: “In my day-to-day job in the Care team we meet people who have used the services of Samaritans and we know how one phone call can make all the difference to someone’s life.”

Banner Jones, which has an office on Union Street, Mansfield town centre, is a Legal 500-listed law firm, which provides legal advice to both individuals and businesses, and which operates across South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and North Derbyshire.

Its 130-strong legal team operates across a full spectrum of legal services; including personal matters such as injury, divorce, wills and probate, residential property and dispute resolution, through to business advice on company formation, commercial property, finance, partnership agreements, debt recovery and employment issues.