Loneliness and fear main topics for Athlone Samaritans during Covid

The main issues for people calling the Athlone and Midlands branch of the Samaritans during Covid were loneliness and fear.

That's according to Tom Fitzpatrick from the organisation who was speaking on the Let's Talk show this afternoon.

The Samaritans are celebrating 30 years in the town this year and 13 of the original volunteers are still part of the 90 strong group who take calls on a regular basis.

Tom Fitzpatrick says the service faced its own issues during Covid when many volunteers weren't available and others had to fill in for them to ensure it kept going.

He says the main concerns of people during that time were the feeling of being totally alone, and the fear of not knowing what might happen.