No call for help goes unanswered

Introduction

As we step into month seven of our time in our new home here at Salisbury Place, Central London Samaritans gets ready to embark on even more change.

This autumn sees not only the change in weather, but the leadership here at Central London Samaritans. After overhauling our previous selection process – we finally welcome our two new Branch Directors into their roles as we ready for what might prove to be one of the busiest winters for the charity.

This makes our “No Call for Help Goes Unanswered” project more vital than ever. All the donations from this project allow us to continue providing a lifeline for thousands of people navigating mental health struggles or emotional distress, and though we are going through a lot of change, nothing will change Central London Samaritans mission to be there for everyone who needs us – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

What a brilliant Summer!

Since Spring of 2025, Central London Samaritans have worked with a wide and unique range of collaborators. In April, we were honoured to be named Charity of the Year by the Baker Street Quarter Partnership – an incredible collaboration that continues to provide us with increased visibility, in-kind donations, and new fundraising opportunities.

Thanks to their generous support and commitment to our partnership, since May, we have:

• The Sing for Samaritans programme was invited to perform and fundraise at the Marylebone Music Festival in June.
• Baker Street Quarter hosted us for our Sing for Samaritans programme at their Summer in the Square event in July; and donated the funds raised through their wellness activities to our branch.
• We received generous in-kind support, including a venue donation for our Pride brunch at Holmes Hotel and our summer volunteer party at Colliers Head Office.
• Supported by the Chiltern Railways Community Investment Fund, Baker Street Quarter will showcase Central London Samaritans’ journey throughout the years during their Marylebone on Display exhibit.

These opportunities are helping us raise awareness of our presence in Marylebone while building local relationships that will sustain our work for years to come.

Our Collaboration with Chelsea FC!

This past September saw the start of Central London Samaritans’ collaboration with Chelsea Football Club with World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10^th.

We were invited to their Staff Wellbeing Coffee Mornings, hosted on the club grounds, to support in creating a safe and relaxing space for staff to come together, chat and unwind for a few hours. Central London Samaritans were invited to offer emotional support should anyone need it, and to let staff know who we are and what we do as Samaritans!

We are very excited to return to the club on World Mental Health Day on October 10^th, along with December 11^th and Brew Monday on January 19^th in 2026!

All Aboard the Big Train!

This summer saw the introduction of the Big Train – Central London Samaritans’ new training programme, aimed at training a larger cohort of new volunteers, in the hopes of bringing in a larger number of new volunteers to the branch in one go.

As August moved into September, CLS were hosted by Arup Engineering to deliver an ambitious three-day training programme to our largest cohort of trainees in years. This was programme was delivered to train and induct a larger group of volunteers that would have otherwise had to wait until the new year to enrol – a cohort whose enrolment would be invaluable to the branch over the winter months.

We were delighted to have been able to host and train over thirty new recruits – a significant boost to our 'normal' training over the course of the year!

We Are Not Going Anywhere.

Central London Samaritans is an independently registered charity, with its own constitutional document and trustee board. It is affiliated but independent from the wider Samaritans organisation. The trustee board of CLS is wholly responsible for the governance and operation of all aspects of CLS including 100% of the funding required to maintain its existence. We receive no direct funding from SCC. Any funding given to CLS is used wholly for the activities carried out by CLS.

We, the trustee board of CLS, cannot comment directly on the press coverage or deliberations of the main Trustee board as the basis on which such conclusions have been drawn have yet to be shared. However, as an independently funded and managed service, we would like to reassure you that as far as we are concerned, the future of CLS and the services it provides remain unchanged.

It is for this reason that our fundraising efforts and your support remains crucial to Central London Samaritans and our ability to keep listening to London.