By Rob Clarke | Fundraising Manager
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.
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