Ealing Samaritan Gets Royal Birthday Invite

Local volunteer Niall Fox will attend the Prince of Wales' 70th birthday

A veteran founder member of Ealing Samaritans has been honoured with an invitation to the Prince of Wales’ 70th Birthday reception next week at Buckingham Palace.

Niall Fox of North Ealing was one of a small group which, in 1972, created what’s become one of the UK’s busiest Samaritans branches

What’s more, Niall still volunteers for a regular shift at Ealing Samaritans’ South Ealing base.

Ann McLaughlin, director of Ealing Samaritans paid tribute to Niall: “He is an amazing volunteer who has not only supported thousands of callers but also fulfilled many roles within the branch for nearly 50 years: he has organised the rota, been a Group Leader, worked on our outreach activities and been a trainer. It’s a fantastic record for a fantastic volunteer"

Niall said: “I am absolutely delighted and thrilled to be attending the Prince’s special party at Buckingham Palace.”

Prince Charles has been a patron of Samaritans since 1999.

At the Buckingham Palace reception on 22 May, a group of Samaritans volunteers will be presenting Prince Charles with a personalised photo gift which aims to represent the number of calls for help Samaritans has answered since he became Patron. During his 19 years as Patron, the organisation has responded to some 96.8 million calls for help.

14th May 2018