About
The vision for Listening Ear started in 2018 where three members of our church, unknown to each other, had a vision to offer a ‘listening ear’ within our church for people in need in our local community. One of these people had worked for many years in social work and saw the impact of loneliness and isolation on people’s lives. We all recognised that many people were without community or a support network and lacked someone who would listen and accept them unconditionally.
History
We wanted to offer our church as a place where people could come to find a someone to listen, find community, love and support. This desire was fuelled from our belief that every human being is extremely valuable, that we are all made to be in relationships, connected to others and to be part of supportive communities. However, we also recognised that many people have had difficult experiences of relationships or are going through times of extreme stress so often need one-to-one support before they are able to build relationships or become part of a bigger community.
On realisation of similar visions, and after prayer, the decision was made to start a listening ear drop-in each week, along with a small team of volunteers. The service grew slowly at first with us primarily supporting those in our own church or those with connections to our church.
Things changed early 2020 when the pandemic hit and the problem of isolation and loneliness grew tenfold. Over the pandemic we were able to offer Listening Ear over the phone and once restrictions lifted, in-person.
In December 2021 we were approached by two employees of The Highland Council and asked if we would consider offering our Listening Ear Service as part of their action plan to support post pandemic recovery in the Hilton area of Inverness. The aim was to provide a safe place for people to talk about the impact of the pandemic, to enable people to process losses and grief, to enhance wellbeing by decreasing isolation and loneliness by providing a regular connection with another people.
Our drop-in grew slowly as people got confidence to leave their home and started to mix with each other again. Thankfully we have been able to continue our drop-in due to a generous donation from a supporter of Listening Ear. Today our drop-in is a thriving community of those who come each week and others who pop in les frequently.
Team
Central to our work is a team of committed volunteers. We currently have nine volunteers plus others who help at our drop-in. All our volunteers come to us with previous experience and are offered training in listening and support. In addition to our volunteers we have an employed member of staff and someone who helps us with administration and project development.
Janet Logue
Listening Ear Team Lead
I have worked in the area of social work and counselling since my mid-twenties and have had the privilege of being involved in setting up and developing various projects within the third sector. My main areas of work have been in working with children and young people affected by parental substance misuse, counselling in schools, working with those affected by abuse and trauma and setting up adult counselling services. Over the last six years I have moved into working within church ministry providing ministry and support to those in the church family and surrounding community. I love being involved in the development of Listening Ear as well as having the opportunity to offer holistic support to those in need in our communities.
In my spare time I love to spend time with my nieces and nephews, walking on the beach or attempting a half marathon or two!
Kirsty Bateson
Listening Ear Team Support
Like Janet, I also started working in social work and social care services in my mid twenties, leaving behind my career in sales and marketing. My work was mainly within children and families, with people at risk of and recovering from substance misuse and offending and latterly, violence against women.
I returned to my roots in Marketing around ten years ago, and studied and retrained as a digital marketer, specialising in technology, while working in a university marketing team within the Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) agenda . I currently work for a large Highland charity while also supporting the work of the Listening Ear team.
In my spare time I am a member of CCC where I also volunteer as a Kidzone leader and helper within the Children and Families Ministry. I’m an outdoor swimming enthusiast, sometimes artist, and partial to coffee establishments!