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Welcome to Christ Church, Blacklands & St. Andrew, Laton Road, Hastings
Beachy Head Chaplaincy
WHATEVER THE WEATHER. . . . . . .
THE BEACHY HEAD CHAPLAINCY TEAM:
Continuing the series about charities we supported from our Parish Stewardship Giving in 2011.
Over recent months the proactive and On-Call Response teams have been out in the worst of the winter weather saving lives. From gales which threaten to pick you off your feet to blinding snow storms, from torrential rain to wind chill well below -15 the men and women of the Beachy Head Chaplaincy Team have fought against adversity to reach those in desperate need. The following is just an example which happened very recently.
On a night shift early February when the snow was melting and ice hard under our feet, we had driven down the road checking the laybys and cliff edges at Beachy Head when suddenly……. A person was spotted in the searchlight up on the ledge. The routine foot patrols had been cancelled that night as it was too dangerous to get onto the downland in case of accidents – like falling down a crater covered in snow – or turning an ankle on an icy hidden rabbit hole! But now all that had changed, someone was up there in the middle of the night and that in our experience meant only one thing – a desperate person was considering suicide.
We carefully got out of the patrol vehicle, collected our torches, made sure our hats and gloves were firmly in place – and with a prayer on the wing – we set off to find our person in distress. As we walked towards them watching their every move, they moved further away from the cliff edge and swiftly changed direction – striding away from us, seemingly disappearing into the night. As we tried to hurry across the wet, icy and snowy banks of the downland, - a prayer out loud this time – ‘Lord…please …. Help us reach them….’ When we reached the brow of the hill and could again see the shadowy outline and glow of the cigarette they were smoking, we picked up speed with renewed hope in our steady march towards tonight’s fight with hopelessness and despair. After what seemed like an eternity, at a gate on the hillside he stops, turns, holds the gate open for us as we arrive next to him. “Hello, my name is Nicki. I’m a chaplain here at Beachy Head and I have a real concern for you here in the middle of the night up on the cliff edge. Can I ask you are you depressed or suicidal tonight?”
He nods as his eyes fill with tears shining in the light of the moon. “Will you come back with us to our base where we can make you a hot drink and listen to your story, to your pain,or whatever brought you here tonight ?” he pauses and slowly nods and begins his story as we return with him along the path we had just trod with heartfelt prayers on his behalf. “Thank you Lord…. thank you for his life.”
Beachy Head is the 2nd most popular suicide spot in the world, with people travelling from all over the UK and abroad to visit with the intention of ending their lives. As a search and rescue team we are one of the busiest in the UK with over 750 searches for missing people every year. We provide both proactive patrols and a 24 hour response service. The Frontline Team consists of 16 operational members who are all active members of local church congregations in Eastbourne. Please visit our website www.bhct.org.uk for more details.