Staff winner

Dr Florian Walter, School of Health Sciences

Florian volunteers for an online crisis helpline called Shout. This service is for people who are struggling with issues such as self harm or suicidal thoughts or those who are struggling to cope with various aspects of their life. As a volunteer, Florian is a person to talk to and to be reassured by but he also points people in directions where they can receive more information or help. In extreme cases, Florian can also arrange for police or ambulance services to provide immediate help to the people messaging in. Florian takes time out of his evenings and nights to volunteer for this service as this is when most people are likely to message in and he often goes above and beyond the hours expected of him by adding additional shifts/hours to his schedules during particularly busy times (such as Christmas and New Year) or when there is a large number of people waiting to be spoken to.