Nottingham Nightline

Going to university is often said to be the best years of your life but for many students the reality is a lot more challenging. It’s a time of great change and stress, while in a new and unfamiliar place, distant from the support of friends and family. But thankfully a group of dedicated volunteers offers someone to listen when people need it most.

Nottingham Nightline is an anonymous, confidential, nondirective and non-judgemental listening and information service run by and for students at the University of Nottingham since its founding in 1973. They are there to listen, even throughout all hours of the night when things can seem the darkest and it’s hardest to find other forms of support.

Currently there is an ongoing student mental health crisis, with a lack of resources available specifically to help students in times of need. The continuing consequences of the pandemic have led to a warped university experience for many, where people can often feel isolated from the social side of being a student. Pressures on counselling services provided by the university make appointments hard to access through long delays and waiting lists, but Nightline can continue to provide support when people feel most alone.

In 2022, Nottingham held its very first Giving Day, which provided an opportunity for donors to fund student mental health causes for the first time. Together, you raised nearly £14,000 that went directly to Nightline. “Our 50th birthday is an important occasion,” says Nottingham Nightline Service Coordinator, Charlotte Payne. “We want to use it to celebrate all the work that has come before us and the impact

Nottingham Nightline has had for so many students over that time. “Your funding provides us with a great deal of stability for the service and prepares us for any additional challenges. We have been able to invest more in publicity materials to spread the word to students, to make them aware of us so they feel able to reach out and contact us when in a time of need.”

During autumn term, Nightline volunteers worked incredibly hard to keep the phonelines open for more than 900 hours. Volunteers received more than 550 calls during this period, totalling almost 300 hours spent talking to callers. Nightline’s principle focus is always on continuing to provide the service and allow all students at the university access to a listening ear at any hour of the night.

“We hope to make the most of our 50th anniversary year to boost the service and reach as many students as possible,” added Charlotte. “We will also be continuing to train new active listening volunteers throughout the year and will be working hard to maintain a strong welfare network within the society to support each other.”

Thank you for enabling Nightline to reach hundreds of students when they need it most.

Find out more: nottinghamnightline.co.uk/contact