Episode 12

EP012: Special Guest Simon Koefman - Samaritans of South Cheshire

Liz & Keds kick off Series 2 which is all about local mental health charities with an in-depth interview with Simon Koefman who has been volunteering for the local Samaritans branch in Crewe, Samaritans of South Cheshire for 7 years.

Simon is fundraising manager of the local mental health charity, he's also a listening volunteer, a mentor, and has previously been a treasurer for the charity too.

We asked Simon about how he came to be a volunteer for Samaritans, how people can get in touch with the charity if they need help, and how you can become a volunteer yourself.

The Samaritans is a free service for those struggling with their mental health and offer a 24-hour confidential phone line, you can contact them on 116 123 or email them at jo@samaritans.org

If you want to make a donation to Samaritans of South Cheshire there are various ways to donate:

  1. Bank Transfer. Payments can be made directly to their Branch current account (Cooperative Bank ) Sort code 08-92-99 Account number 65826766
  2. Branch website /Virgin Money giving . Via the main Samaritans website, navigate to "Crewe Samaritans " using the search engine for our secure donation portal. Alternatively via Virgin Money Giving, using " Samaritans of South Cheshire" as the search term. Donation link below  https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity web/charity/finalCharityHomepage.action?charityId=1018368
  3. Cheque Payments (Samaritans of South Cheshire ) can be made by post, marked for the Branch Treasurer, and sent to our Branch at 2 Hall O’Shaw Street, Crewe, Cheshire CW1 4AE
  4. Cash. Our least favoured option due to the "hassle factor" but can be paid over the counter via the Post Office or any Co-op bank, account details as above 
  5. Text to Donate Simply text CREWESAMS to 70085 to make a £5 donation, collected via your mobile phone provider

If you are fundraising for Samaritans and would like any help and support, get in touch with Simon on simon.koefman@btinternet.com

You can also follow the local branch on Twitter for the latest news from the branch and Samaritansas a whole @CreweSams

About the Podcast

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The Happiness Hub
How to be happy, get happy and stay happy with chat and laughter from Kedren Elliott and Liz Parkin

About your hosts

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Kedren Elliott

My name is Kedren, yes Kedren (my name is a bit strange, like myself).

I'm currently finishing my final year's training to become a counsellor and work at North Staffs Mind.
I'm also someone who has struggled with my mental health and lived with friends and family who have also faced challenges.

Through the happiness hub, I really want to help as many people as I can to find ways to live happier. It doesn't have to be complicated, there are little things we can do every day to help with our mental health and feel happier.

So that's a bit about me, but you can find out more by listening to our Hub Podcast!
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Liz Parkin

I'm Liz, Kedren's podcasting side-kick, close friend and gin-buddy for over 10 years.

My mental health challenges started in my early teens and continued through a rather traumatic year in 2004.

It was at this point that I discovered Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) which quite literally changed my life - or maybe my perception on life...

In this podcast I will share with you some of the tips and techniques that I learned whilst training for my NLP Practitioner and then Master Practitioner over 14 years ago. NLP got me through some very dark times and given me a bag of mindset tools and strategies to help me keep my mental health, well... healthy!
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Nantwich Buddies

Nantwich Buddies is a volunteer organisation set up at the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Formerly known as RedShift Radio, the online community radio station and podcast network closed during lockdown and Buddies ramped up their support of the community. Helping with shopping, befriending and supporting the mental health of Nantwich residents.
The podcasting continues as Nantwich Buddies and podcasters are welcome to join our network as long as they meet the criteria: Engaging, Uplifting or Inspiring and support the wellbeing or learning of our community.