"My Nightline Story"

Here at Manchester Nightline, we know the fact we're anonymous can be a bit strange to some people. People ask, "Are you even a real person?", and the answer is YES! We're all very real, very normal people who simply chose to give up their time for others. We hear from one of our volunteers and what being a part of the organisation has done for them:

"As a phone volunteer for Greater Manchester Nightline, I can honestly say that what we do is amazing. Not all calls end with answers, but even just encouraging someone to talk, asking them questions and being the person that they have chosen to speak to is enough to know that the hours you are volunteering are worthwhile. But for me, Nightline isn’t just about helping others.

I began my volunteering with Nightline at a really vulnerable time of my university life. Long story short, everything that could have possibly gone wrong, had gone wrong. Whilst struggling with depression, I felt like I lacked friends and support and was initially really scared to meet such a new, diverse group of people, but straight away, I felt welcomed into what is one of the country’s largest Nightline communities. Throughout training, I was continually offered support by people who I had quickly felt comfortable talking about my mental health with, which was such a new thing for me, as I was terrified to tell my other friends. The social side of Nightline really helped “bring me out of my shell”, I began to approach new people, I didn’t always feel like a burden to people who encouraged me to talk about my problems. I’ve now been with the organisation for a year and can honestly say that without some of the people I’ve met, I would not still be at university.

The thing with Nightline volunteers is, we’re all such like-minded people. We all do different courses, we come from all walks of life, but you don’t give up so much time to an organisation that listens if you’re not a supportive person. The people I’ve met have helped me through my depression and they’ve given me a social life that didn’t exist before I started volunteering. I’ve gone on to make friends much more easily in other areas of my life and I can honestly say that I’m the happiest and most successful I’ve been in a long time. As cliché as it sounds, being a part of Nightline has really changed my life and I’m sure I’m not the only one. That’s why it’s not just about the callers, it’s about our volunteers and I’m lucky to be a part of an organisation that does such wonderful things."

HO HO HO, CANDY CANE GRAMS!

It's officially the Christmas period, and here at Manchester Nightline we're busy raising money so we can continue to support students in the run up to Christmas. Our fundraising team have taken the classic Mean Girls candy canes and are selling them at the Student Union today between 11am and 3pm. So far, we've raised hundreds of pounds in the few short weeks we've been fundraising (there's more to come about the Open Mic night we had last week, including pictures of a very excited Noel), and this even is helping us even more. So get yourselves down to the SU, buy your secret santa a candy cane or two, or maybe even that lecturer you know you shouldn't but can't stop thinking about (everyone has one..).  The event is here on facebook, you know what to do.. Don't be Gretchen Weiners!


Bearry Christmas from us all at Manchester Nightline x

Fundraising - Open Mic Night

This Decemeber, something really exciting is happening for our Nightline! For the first time ever, we're able to fundraise to help us continue to provide a service to all of Manchester. Over the past few months, an amazing fundraising team has formed and brought together lots of great ideas and things have finally come together, and so, we present to you, the first ever fundraiser for Greater Manchester Nightline!

Join us for Open Mic at Squirrels Bar in Fallowfield on Monday, 1st December. There'll be food, drink and a raffle and you'll be entertained all night by some amazing acts. Please come down to show your support, or even perform if you fancy! You can find the event on Facebook here, where you'll find more information about signing up. Bring your friends and family, teddy bears are also welcome to keep our Noel company. We're super excited about this, but we need you to help us make it a success!

Lots of bear hugs,

Manchester Nightline

We've got a blog!

Hello internet! This week is officially Nightline Awareness Week 2014 and we're really excited to be launching this blog as part of it. All over the country, Nightline's are working hard to raise awareness of what we all do and we thought a blog would be perfect to keep you all in the know when it comes to Greater Manchester Nightline.

Every week, we'll keep you up to date with any events happening in the Manchester student community. We'll also be writing about student issues, mental health, what it's like to be a Nightliner and how Nightline has and continues to help students in Manchester. There's also Noel, our amazing mascot who is going to be out and about on campus - he'll be reporting his adventures and mishaps.. You'll hear about opportunities to get involved with Nightline, be that as a phone volunteer, a member of the publicity team or part of our brand new and exciting fundraising team!

We hope this blog puts a bit more of a face to a faceless organisation and that you enjoy reading about what we as a Nightline are up to and care about.

Lots of bear hugs,

Manchester Nightline