A BASINGSTOKE volunteer who has been a Samaritan for more than 25 years has been chosen to lead the charity nationally as its chairman of trustees.

Jenni McCartney, who moved to the borough in 1983, first got involved with the Basingstoke branch as a listening volunteer.

The business development consultant, who spent her early life in Scotland, has been volunteering for Samaritans ever since.

Although she now lives in Fleet, she still volunteers at the Basingstoke branch as a listening volunteer once a week, and is regional director for the south’s 18 branches. She now replaces Stephen Hoddell as national chairman of trustees.

Jenni said: “Having been a Samaritans volunteer for more than 25 years, I’m proud and delighted to have been elected as chair.

“I am hugely excited but also apprehensive. Having said that I have had some fantastic guidance from Stephen and a great handover.

“I’d like to thank the Samaritans council for placing their trust in me to lead our fantastic organisation at such an exciting time in the history of Samaritans. I am very much looking forward to building on the great work done by Stephen over the last three years.”

Jenni said she had been hooked as soon as she began volunteering for the Samaritans, adding: “It was a revelation to me that just listening could make such a difference.

“What we do is so simple – one person reaching out a helping hand to someone they don’t know and will probably never meet, yet it is so powerful.

“Samaritans makes a difference to people and that is really important to me.”

She added that she would definitely be continuing to work as a listening volunteer, despite her new high-profile role.

The charity has more than 21,000 volunteers who belong to 201 branches throughout the UK and Ireland.

To contact Samaritans anonymously, call 08457 90 90 90, or email the charity at jo@samartians.org.

And to find out more about volunteering at the Basingstoke branch, call 01256 353473.