Diocese of Chichester

Hearing You - new pastoral support phone line launched

On 14 apr 2020

In Bishop

By Diocese of Chichester

In his latest Ad Clerum issued today (Tuesday 14 April) Bishop Martin highlights a new phone help line, Hearing You.

Hearing You is a new phone help line launched by the Diocese of Chichester in partnership with Together in Sussex in response to the impact that Covid 19 has had on Just about the whole community. It aims to provide pastoral support and a listening ear to the recently bereaved and people directly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Hearing You will be staffed by volunteers trained in pastoral care and listening skills including clergy and licensed lay ministers.

All volunteer listeners will have completed safeguarding training with the Diocese of Chichester.

They will be able to point callers to other organisations offering specialist support if appropriate and also to parish clergy. Listeners will offer to pray for the caller or for their concerns.

Hospital chaplains within the diocese will be able to direct people to the servicebut the phonelines will be open to anyone living in Sussex whether they currently attend a church or not.

The service will initially run until the end of May, from Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 7.00pm.

The number is: 01273 425 047

The AD Clerum can be read here.

You can also see Archdeacon Martin explaining and encouraging use of the phoneline below:

We encourage you to print out this poster, and safely deliver it to people in your communities.

A single, A5, verson of this poster can be found here


At the same time the diocese, in consultation with hospital chaplains, has launched a simple card for people to print and take into hospital with them. This will state they are a Christian and agreeing for a chaplain to visit them in hospital These will be distributed via churches and the hospital chaplaincy.

You can download the card here

Bishop Martin and Elle Weaver from Together in Sussex were interviewed on BBC radio Sussex on Sunday morning breakfast show with Emily Jeffery on 20th April. You can listen again here