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"Maytree's Directors: Michael Knight and Paddy Bazeley"
The
inspiration and energy behind Maytree came from the Director, Paddy
Bazeley who had been working full time with the Samaritans for nearly 30
years.
During this time Paddy met many people with feelings such as “I
don’t really want to die but I don’t know how to live,” or who
believed for example they would rather take their own lives than go to
hospital.
The stigma of a mental illness label and the fear of being
detained in hospital involuntarily (sectioned) deters a great many
people from seeking help.
Paddy
first suggested the idea of a non-medical respite centre for people
actively thinking about suicide to colleagues and friends.
A working
party was formed to explore the feasibility of such a project, following
which a board of Trustees, chaired by Michael Knight, himself a
Samaritan volunteer, psychotherapist and management consultant, began
raising the necessary funds to buy the house and provide the initial
running costs for Maytree.
The
faith and encouragement of the trustees and friends has enabled Maytree
to become a reality. Maytree opened its doors to our first guest in
autumn 2002.
Because
of the nature of what we do, it’s hard to define our ‘success
rate’.
However, feedback
from former guests are
a testament to the difference a short stay with us can make.
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