The staff of the Mullingar branch of Childline took to the Market Square in Mullingar last Friday, 24 October, with an eye-catching campaign to raise awareness about the shortage of funds which is posing a threat to the future of the nationwide charity.
The emergency appeal, which was recently issued by the charity, aims to raise funds to help save its night-time call service, with a target of €1.2m in place to keep the phone lines answered on a 24 hour basis.
Last Friday’s campaign saw local Childline volunteers seated in a telephone box on the Market Square, with sounds of a ringing phone catching the attention of passers-by.
Speaking on behalf of the Mullingar branch of Childline, volunteer Gayle Sweeney spoke of her role as a volunteer with Childline, as well one memorable incident she encountered during her work with Childline.
“As a volunteer, I see on a daily basis the need for this 24 hour listening service. We all struggle from time to time and it’s great to be in a position to be there for children who need to talk,” said Gayle. “Before becoming a volunteer, I thought I had a good idea of what children go through, but I was mistaken. It’s a privilege to know that I have listened to and supported so many young people who use our service. The most memorable thing a child said to me was ‘thank you for listening to me, I don’t know what I would have done had I not made this cal’. This is something that will stay with me for a very long time.”
Also present at the Market Square on the day was Andrew Jackson, Childline’s national anti-bullying co-ordinator, who spoke on the the issue of the demand for Childline’s services, with particular focus on the overnight service which is under threat.
“The demand for Childline’s services is always high. At the moment we get over 700,000 calls a year, which statistically balances out roughly at 1 per second,” he said. “Overnight calls are slightly fewer but they are the calls which are the most important.
If we have to close the overnight service for five hours, children who have nowhere else to turn to might miss out.”
The Childline emergency appeal will run through October and November and is being supported by a national promotional campaign under the theme ‘No child should be forced into silence’.
Donations to the campaign can be made online at www.savechildline24.ie, by phone at 1850 50 40 50 or simply text ‘Childline’ to 57911 to donate €4.
