Here’s a sad thing I’ve just discovered – York Nightline, the long-standing student-run listening and information service. was shut down by York University Student Union in 2023.

Reading the statement from them, I understand and I think largely agree. It’s extremely thoughtfully written. A peer-based listening service just would never be equipped to cope with the dramatic rise in serious mental health issues in the 25 years since I was a student there. When designing services around wellbeing of any kind, an extremely important aspect is how to make sure you are not accidentally attracting people who need help from elsewhere, which you cannot provide. And, if I’m honest, based on the various helping and safeguarding services I’ve been involved in since getting my start there, I’m not sure its policies and approaches were robust enough even at the time.

But one thing it did teach me was the incredible power of just listening to people. That’s been a solid in my career ever since.

Then, chairing its weekly meetings got me over my fear of public speaking. I was physically shaking in my first weekly meeting as the Co-ordinator, and by the time I left I was working as a ghost walk guide addressing hundreds.

Embracing both listening and speaking: I can trace my work as a humanist celebrant directly back to those two things.

And, for all its flaws, it was well-meaning, well used, had a very clear sense of ethics, and was a really profound first experience of volunteering for many of us. As the statement from YUSU said, there was a strong sense of community, and many lasting friendships were made during those long, dark nights. My marriage is not, by a long shot, the only one that began with a meeting there. Not even the only one from the three years I was there.

So, a poignant if belated goodbye.

(oh, and they were still using the logo I designed, 23 years later 🤘)