GAME of Thrones star Natalie Dormer joined a Childline night shift as the charity’s Scottish base gears up to support youngsters over Christmas.
Childline in Glasgow is one of three service bases across the UK that answers calls and contacts throughout the night. Last year its staff held almost 400 sessions with Scottish children and teenagers over the 12-day festive period.
They were amongst the near-7200 help sessions delivered by specially trained workers throughout the UK.
Almost 900 of these took place between midnight and 7am and more than half of those seeking support through the night were struggling with mental health issues, self-harm and in the worst cases, suicidal thoughts and feelings.
Childline, which is an National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) service, is calling for donations and volunteers to keep that support going 24/7.
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Due to demand and a shortage of resources, Childline is only able to help two in every three children that contact them in December and during the rest of the year.
Dormer, who played Queen Margaery Tyrell in Games of Thrones, took part in an overnight session to raise awareness for the “Light for Every Childhood” campaign.
The Childline ambassador said: “The calls that came in, to be quite honest, side-swiped me. Within the first 25 minutes there were two suicide calls, with counsellors helping the young people through the reoccurring thoughts that were haunting them.”
One 13-year-old girl who contacted Childline last Christmas said she was feeling “really down” and could not access her regular counsellor.
She said: “I have anxiety and find it difficult to cope and have tried to kill myself before. I don’t want to live but don’t want to upset my family.”
To donate, or for more information, visit the NSPCC website: www.nspcc.org.uk
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