Mental Health United Kingdom Project #22987

No call for help goes unanswered

by Central London Samaritans

Project Report | Mar 7, 2017
No call for help goes unanswered report

By Elizabeth Irvine | Community Fundraising Coordinator

Thank you for continuing to support our campaign to ensure that no call goes unanswered for Central London Samaritans. Our volunteers continue to provide a safe space for people to talk through whatever is on their mind. Our Volunteers at Central London Samaritans provide confidential, emotional support for anyone in distress. They provide a safe place for people to talk about whatever's troubling them our volunteers often provide a lifeline for people who are struggling to cope and have nowhere else to turn.

Over December 2016 our phone lines and service were very busy as Christmas is a time when people can feel at their most vulnerable. The pressure surrounding the festive season can be very difficult for some but our volunteers ensured Central London Samaritans remained open round the clock to provide support. The service remained open throughout the Christmas time and we answered 10,388 calls for help.

As well as providing emotional support via our helpline services our volunteers continued to reach out and support vulnerable groups across London, including the homeless community, young people, men and women in custody and LGBT+ people reaching 504 people and raising awareness of our service to 121,550 people.

As our Funding challenge increases in 2017, the commitment and enthusiasm of our volunteers enables us continue to deliver this life changing service. Help us to be there when it matters and donate to our campaign.

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Oct 4, 2016
Thank you for helping us to be there when it matters most

By Rob Clarke | Fundraising Manager

Calls for help increased 8.5% over the summer

Following a summer of uncertainty in UK it's perhaps not a surprise that calls for help to our service increased by 8.5% in July to September and a 7.5% increase on the number of calls for help on the same period in the previous year.

In July to September 2016 our volunteers responded to 30,066 calls for help from people struggling to cope.

July was noticeably busier for our dedicated volunteers. Whilst our service remains completely anonymous we know that the fall out from Britain's EU Referendum and a number of global terrorist attacks certainly created an anxious time for many people across the UK.

Importantly for our callers, our service is entirely confidential, which helps people to feel safe and secure. We won't judge them or tell them what to do. We let people be themselves, whoever they are and whatever life has done to them, offering empathy and a listening ear. This helps people to talk about whatever is troubling them and to know that someone cares about them.

We recently received this feedback from someone who has previously used the service, which helps to explain how important our sevice can be for people in distress.

“I contacted Samaritans at a point in my life where I felt lost and alone. Having someone to listen to my problems without belittling them or telling me what to do was very refreshing and made me feel worthy of support. It helped me to find the strength I needed to find a way out.”

Since our inception in 1953 Central London Samaritans has never closed, providing a 24 hour service every day of the year for the people of London and beyond. This unbroken chain of support has been an essential support network for the capital for over sixty years. Today we support people face to face, by telephone, SMS or email.

In the next 3 months we will be working tirelessly to ensure that people can access our service on their terms and get the best possible support in their hour of need.

Thank you for helping us to be there when it matters the most.

We support 4,500 face-to-face callers a year

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Jul 11, 2016
Increasing demand for our support

By Rob Clarke | Fundraising Manager

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