We caught up with the people at Sheffield’s Nightline to find out about the work they do

Living in a new city can be a daunting experience for many, and moving away from family and friends can start to take it's toll, especially after the original excitement of Freshers' Week has calmed down.

It's often difficult to find someone to talk to at uni about any problem you may have, as it can feel a burden to your brand new uni friends, and also you don't want to worry people at home.

We've all been there, and that's why Nightline is such a vital service to the students of Sheffield.

We caught up with them to find out a bit more about this organisation.

Tell us a bit about what nightline is

Nightline is a confidential and anonymous listening and information service, run by students for students. Sheffield Nightline first began providing support to the students of University of Sheffield over 40 years ago, and has since expanded to Sheffield Hallam University five years ago enabling us to reach over 60,000 students.

Nightline has two separate services. The first is a listening service which is used to listen to students when they are experiencing emotional distress. The second service is an information service which is simply to provide information. No problem is too big or too small for Nightline, so do not hesitate to contact us if you feel like you are struggling or simply cannot find a decent takeaway.

How can people get involved and volunteer?

Nightline has two intakes each year. Before each in-take, Nightline will publicise the chance to volunteer at both Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Sheffield which will explain how to apply to become a volunteer. Our next intake is in October, so keep an eye out if this seems like something that you would be interested in.

There are other ways in which students can become involved in Nightline which doesn’t require them to answer the phones or respond to messages but still helps us out tremendously. Students can apply to become part of our street team. Our street team helps Nightline with publicity and fundraising usually around fresher’s week, nightline awareness week and during exam period.

Do you need any previous experience to work at Nightline?

No previous experience is required to volunteer for nightline. We provide all the training and experience you need in order to ensure that each volunteer is ready to start taking calls.

We have a training weekend for each new intake, as well as weekly training to ensure our volunteers are trained efficiently and feel comfortably when taking calls. Our volunteers are not put on the phones until both volunteer and Nightline feel 100 per cent confident that they are ready to start taking calls.

What kind of issues can the volunteers at Nightline help with?

We help students with a range of issues; there really isn't any type of issue we deal with, or a type of person who calls. No problem is too big or too small!

What hours is Nightline open?

Nightline’s caller service is open 8pm until 8am during term time, however if people do not feel comfortable talking on the phone we also offer an Instant messenger service and a text service which is open 8pm -midnight during term time. We also provide a 24/7 e-mail service which is available all year round, so if students require our help outside of term time, they are able to contact us.

What's the best way to contact Nightline?

Sheffield Nightline’s listening service number is 0114 22 8787 and the information service number is 01142228788, both are provided on the back of every Sheffield Student’s student card. The text service number is 07786207208, our email address for our e-listening service is [email protected], and our instant messenger service is available on our website at www.sheffieldnightline.co.uk.

Do you offer a face-to-face service as well, or is it just over the phone? Can you be referred to a uni counselling service through Nightline?

No, Nightline does not offer a face-to-face service due to anonymity reasons. We also cannot refer any callers to the university counselling services, however we can provide information that is available to us about the university counselling services upon request if a caller is unable to find this information themselves.

If any you have any queries about volunteering or recruitment, please contact them through the Sheffield Nightline website (www.sheffieldnight.co.uk) or email [email protected] for more information.