A HUB for volunteers answering calls from those in distress will find a home in Tamworth, thanks to the country music festival.
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Funds raised through a charity partnership between Lifeline and the 2023 festival will help establish a crisis support centre in the city.
Tamworth is a "missing spot" on the services' map, Northern NSW general manager Michael Were said.
"The ability for Lifeline to partner with Toyota and also with the Tamworth Country Music Festival is a huge opportunity for us to show that it is ok to not be ok," he said.
"Because it's such an iconic event. It really is a place that people gather."
The centre, slated for construction in the new business park in 2023, will boost mental health support - a "growing" conversation in regional Australia.
"Tamworth is a key location for the development of our services," Mr Were said.
"We're here to stay and grow mental health services in this region."
The hub will also present opportunities for locals to become crisis supporters.
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"The process of training in crisis support is really intense, and it is really, really comprehensive," he said.
"We start with a whole heap of online courses, and then that goes into supervised shifts, roleplays, mentoring."
Lifeline hopes to call for expressions of interest from the community in the first few months of 2023, to begin the training process and get people on the phones before the end of the year.
"There's so many people that are ready to invest in this community and this town," he said.
"We're hoping people will see the connection between Tamworth and Lifeline, and also want to contribute to us."
The service will be very visible at the event, festival manager Barry Harley said.
People should pick up a straw hat, pins, a limited edition shirt or donate a bit of money during a meal at a participating pub or club.
"It's a great environment with 30 or 40, 50,000 people," he said.
"There's got to be a couple of dollars out there spare that the charities can pick up."
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Eva Baxter
Eva is a Northern Daily Leader journalist based in Tamworth. She covers health, politics, energy, arts & entertainment, business, community, and a bit of everything else.
Eva is a Northern Daily Leader journalist based in Tamworth. She covers health, politics, energy, arts & entertainment, business, community, and a bit of everything else.
