The 24th of July (24/7) is a reminder that Samaritan’s offer a service available 24 hours a day, 7 day’s a week to support anybody who needs it, whenever they need it.
We’re beginning to talk about Mental Health more, but there remains a stigma, (even more so for men), preventing people from feeling like they’re able to open up. Mental health challenges can rear their head at any time, and so the services that the Samaritans provide are crucial.
A bit of history
Samaritans has been about since 1953. It was first set-up in a backroom in London and the helpline was known as “999 for the suicidal”. Not long after this, a newspaper coined the phrase “Telephone Good Samaritans” in one of their articles. A notable name that stuck and within a few months the first team of volunteers stepped up. Over the last 70 years, the Samaritans has received over 134 million calls. Today, Samaritans has over 23,000 volunteers and expanded to 200 sites.
Albeit a cornerstone of the services offered, Samaritans don’t solely offer a telephone support service. They also work within the community offering face-to-face support and attending local events and in 2023 introduced an email support service.
So, how can we show support to the Samaritans today?
- Sharing awareness of the fantastic work that the volunteers do to provide support to people when they need it most.
- Wear green which is the official colour of the Samaritans.
- Host an event to raise funds to support the charity. This could be via a community hub, your workplace or school to name a few.
- Volunteer. This could be with Samaritans themselves, or a different mental health charity.
- Reach out to your loved ones to show support. Let them know you’re there for them when they need you.
A huge thank you to all the volunteers at Samaritans over the years for all of your hard work to provide support to people who need it most. 💚
