Samaritan David drops in to Shropshire on 6,000-MILE trek

David Matthews, 58, is on a 'listening walk' – a mission to visit every Samaritans branch in the UK and Ireland.

He hopes to volunteer at each branch he visits and to offer emotional support to callers by telephone and email.

David wants his epic feat to increase public awareness of the service that Samaritans provide as well as raise awareness of mental health issues, to help recruit 1,000 new Samaritans volunteers and to raise £100,000 to help fund the charity.

He set off from the Doncaster branch – where he first trained as a volunteer over 12 years ago – back in April 2019.

Now, 80 branches and 2,600 miles later, he is enjoying the sights of Shropshire having visited the Telford and Shrewsbury branches.

"I've been a Samaritan for 12 years," he said. "I used to look at these other people who used to do amazing things, not just for Samaritans but for other charities.

"About five or six years ago I thought I needed to stop just thinking about it. I didn't fancy doing a parachute jump or cycling, but I like walking."

In recent years both of David's parents died and he divorced, and while he said he didn't feel suicidal himself it gave him a keener understanding of the issues and feelings that drive people to contact the Samaritans.

That, and the growing public discourse about mental health, gave David the push he needed to draw up a plan.

'No more excuses'

But he was still tied down to the holiday home he ran in western Scotland.

"Financially I can't afford to just stop doing everything up there," he said.

"But somebody has taken it on for two years, or as long as they need to.

"That was the last piece of the jigsaw if you like – I didn't have any more excuses."

He said that while he initially started with a rigid plan of when he would arrive at each branch, he "ripped it up" within the first week after it quickly became apparent that he would have to become more flexible and adapt his route as he went.

So he found his way to Telford via Scotland, the north of England, the south-east and the Midlands.

From there he walked along the old A5 and reached the Samaritans branch near Shrewsbury's English Bridge on Sunday afternoon, greeted by smiling volunteers who had baked delicious cakes – including plenty of vegan options for David, who has not eaten meat or even worn an animal-based product in 31 years.

Samaritans volunteer and director of the Shrewsbury branch Helen McGuinness was one of those who welcomed him with a cup of tea.

She said: "I think it's a fabulous thing to see someone who is prepared to take on that sort of challenge to raise awareness – just getting out there, meeting people, engaging with them. They are coming up to him, it's lovely."

Shrewsbury's mayor Phil Gillam was also on hand to congratulate David on his achievement so far.

'Little epiphanies'

Along the way David has said he has experienced several "little epiphanies" about human nature thanks to the people he has met.

They include a homeless man who gave him a 50p coin, supermarket staff who invited him into their cafe for a free meal and a woman who got engaged while grieving her grandmother.

"It isn't about things, it's about the people," David said. He still has the whole of Ireland to get around, and he anticipates spending about three months there later this year.

He will finish his walk back where he started at Doncaster and hopes to get in just under two years after he first left in April last year.

So far he has worn through six pairs of trainers, though hasn't suffered any blisters yet, which he attributes to rubbing his feet in surgical spirits for a week before setting off, as well as wearing two pairs of socks.

He said: "The branches are amazing. Physically they are all different but pretty much every Samaritan I've met, we all feel a part of the same thing."

Visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=DavidMatthews&pageUrl=1 to donate.