SUNS is a mental health charity which is open to our service users through the day and in the evenings our sister charity the Swindon listening line takes over to take telephone calls from people who suffer from anxiety, depression, mental, sexual and physical abuse, bereavement, and so much more. The Swindon Listening Line (01793 332520 or mobile 078500708317) operates every night between the hours of 6 pm until midnight including all bank holidays and Christmas. Although callers are mainly from Swindon and Wiltshire, we never turn away anyone in need who call us from other areas. To make sure that all our callers’ needs are met we work closely with the ambulance and police services, the local mental health team, A&E departments, and we can also signpost the caller to the appropriate agency if needed. This phone line has saved many lives and supported thousands of callers preventing them getting in to a crisis. Through the day we run groups to support people in various ways. The groups range from creative writing, arts and crafts, beating the blues, life skills, relaxation, discussion groups, and so much more. . . SUNS Service User Network Swindon has been running as a non-profit making charity since 1998 and in 2008 its sister charity the Swindon listening Line was set up. This was set up by our Chair as she was unwell at the time and had no one to turn to while she was in a crisis, as her health improved she realised that something was needed before you reach that crisis point. Ann carried out a survey asking people what they felt would be good for them before reaching crisis point, and the majority of the answers came as 'someone to talk to, not tell me what to do, just listen to me'. The Swindon Listening Line was launched and now receives between 50-150 calls each night from people ranging from 16 upwards. The line is open from 6pm to midnight every night of the year including all bank holidays. It is for anyone in Swindon who feel they would like to talk to someone in confidence to help prevent them getting to crisis point. The callers could be depressed, lonely, have suffered abuse, or any issue that is upsetting their mental well being. The line operates with 3 members of staff offering an empathetic ear and consistency to the callers who are then able to build up a trust and friendship with them. The calls are confidential although we can signpost the callers to an appropriate agency if they would like us to, we also offer courtesy calls to the more vulnerable letting them know we care and are here for them. We have on occasions had to call the emergency services on the caller’s behalf. Although the calls are confidential we do keep a record of them using a system called icarol which all calls, texts and voice mail messages are logged onto and checked the following morning for any follow up's that may need to be done. If one of our operators felt there was a concern over a particular call, that call log would be highlighted to be checked first. We have on many occasions been contacted for help by the Police and Ambulance Services regarding unnecessary 999 calls, we can take the unnecessary calls leaving them to deal with the real emergencies. If any of our callers have for instance taken an overdose, we will do our best to establish what had been taken and will call for an ambulance for them, and if there was a situation where the police were needed, we would also call them. As well as the landline we offer a mobile text service, to enable people to request a call back. We do also take calls from other parts of Wiltshire, although we don’t advertise that. The line has been running for 5 years now and we are happy to report we have had no complaints. The phone numbers are 01793 332520 and mobile 07850 708317 You might remember the tragic loss of life of the two young ladies who were murdered by the private hire mini cab driver in Swindon, because of this very sad happening we work closely with Karen Edwards the mother of Becky Goddon who was one of the victims. We have recently piloted glow in the dark wristbands that read In Memory of Becky and also has the listening line mobile number on them allowing young people to call or text in to us if they are in need of help. We want to do all we can to support people In Swindon. Mondays Tuesdays and Wednesday SUNS is open to its service users between 10am and 2pm and on Saturdays from 12 noon until 4pm where we offer a place to relax where our service users can chat with like-minded people, we are available for one to one discussion, we have friendly and fun group discussions, art & crafts, creative writing etc. As our service users are on low incomes we offer lunch to ensure they have eaten. So much more goes on behind the scenes, we attend appointments with our service users, attend mental health meetings, sit on interview panels, do mental health hospital ward inspections, speak to the patients and report back our findings to ensure the patients are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. The SUNS telephone number is 01793 436174 our website can be found at www.swindonsuns.org and we can be contacted by email. Swindon Borough Council used to fund us but since they have had to make cut backs sadly it has been withdrawn which has hit us as many other small charities very hard. We are now having to fund ourselves through fundraising bucket collections and other fundraising events.