Radio man proves it’s good to talk
BY KEIRAN SOUTHERN RADIO host Iain Lee has been credited with helping save a man’s life after keeping a suicidal caller on the line for 30 minutes until an ambulance arrived.
The man, whose name was only given as Chris, called into Lee’s talkRadio show on Wednesday and said he had taken an overdose after suffering depression and posttraumatic stress disorder.
Lee kept him reassured until emergency services were able to get to him. NOT all Santas wear red suits – some are volunteers from the baby bank who run an SoS service in between their day jobs and other commitments.
This week, women from Glasgow’s No1 Baby and Family Support Service have been delivering Christmas in a bin bag to struggling families. Each child will get five toys, plus a warm BY ANNA BURNSIDE winter jacket. More than 400 will be delivered. Audrey Dempsey, who set up the service from her garage two years ago, said: “The number keeps going up but we can’t say no.”
Carol Anne McGurk, who mans the phones, said: “The people I speak to are not saying ‘I need an X-box’. They’re saying,’I just need to have something for my children’.”
Audrey, a full-time addiction worker, said: “People want to help. If you give them the opportunity and give them their place, you’ll never get anybody better than a Glaswegian.” Supporters held collections in their offices and brought cars full of gifts.
One lady dropped into the Royston office with £100. Another donor sent in 10 board games. The service grew out of Audrey’s own Christmas gift drive. Every December she would wrap up presents for her clients and their families, gathering items from her own friends and family.
But as more people fell into the poverty trap, this safety net disappeared. Audrey said: “We couldn’t find a service that would help people in working poverty.