Toyota TCMF 2024 will save lives with Lifeline.
Lifeline New England North West will be the beneficiary of a rare, two-year partnership with Toyota Australia at the Toyota Country Music Festival, Tamworth. The success of the charity partnership at this years festival has paved the way for Lifeline and Toyota to continue working together bringing Lifeline Crisis Supporters to Tamworth.
Funds raised from the partnership will help to establish a local crisis supporter team, training Tamworth residents to answer calls to Lifeline’s crisis line.
Festival goers will be able to support Lifeline when they purchase the popular Festival souvenir hats and pins from for Toyota Zone, with all proceeds directly supporting Lifeline to build local services in the Tamworth community.
We’re also very proud to be working with the Festival on the second ‘Concert for Lifeline’ that will be held as part of the opening night celebrations.
The need for Crisis Supporters in Tamworth
With covid, floods, bushfires and the current cost-of-living Lifeline’s crisis line is seeing higher demand than ever before – Lifeline are experiencing record call numbers to Lifeline - up to 3,500 calls per day.
In order to answer all of these calls we need more trained crisis supporters across the country. Tamworth is a key location for the development of our services … we’re here to stay and grow mental health services in this region.
All funds raised through the Toyota Partnership will remain local.
Lifeline has secured philanthropic support for a purpose-built centre to be constructed in Tamworth’s new business park in 2023. This building will become a hub for training Lifeline volunteers who will answer calls from people in distress all over Australia.
It is common for our crisis supporters to receive calls where a person is anxious, depressed, worried, suicidal or in a threatening domestic situation. The training is comprehensive, the trainee takes their first call under supervision after three months of training, and the total training program takes approximately 9 months to complete. It cost Lifeline $3,500 to train a new Crisis Supporter, so the money raised through this partnership will go towards covering the cost of training people locally in Tamworth.
Lifeline are very grateful to Toyota and Tamworth Country Music Festival for this extraordinary opportunity.
Lifeline exists so that no person in Australia faces their darkest moments alone.
Lifeline’s services are free and include our 13 11 14 crisis line as well as text and video chat, video counselling, face to face counselling and education and training around mental health.
24/7 access to Crisis Support
• Lifeline Crisis Line - 13 11 14
• Text – 0477 13 11 14
• Chat - lifeline.org.au/crisis-chat
