Taunton

Welcome to Samaritans of Taunton & Somerset

Founded in 1968 and originally based in Bridgwater,we moved to our current home at 16, Wood Street, Taunton TA1 1UN in 1972. The branch is ideally located, close to a car park, the bus station and is easily walkable from the centre of town.

What areas do we cover?

Our activities cover much of Exmoor, the Quantocks and the Blackdown Hills and all the major towns in West and South Somerset. We have around 100 volunteers, who provide an incredibly valuable service, each year dealing with over 20 000 calls.

Many of our volunteers live in and around Taunton but some travel from the surrounding areas of Wellington, Minehead, Bridgwater, Tiverton, Ilminster and many of the outlying villages.

How many calls do we support?

We average around 100 contacts with callers per day, mainly on the telephone, every day of the year - a great achievement. This volume of contacts is one of the highest of all the branches in the UK, reflecting the dedication and hard work of our volunteers.

Our Outreach Programme

We are passionate about the support we give to our community. Our volunteers support people visiting Taunton Food Bank, Sedgemoor Market, Taunton Library and the Bridgwater Wellbeing Cafe. We are keen to develop more partnerships in the area.

In addition to listening to our callers, our Talks Team gives presentations to:

• Schools
• Colleges
• Clubs
• Doctors’ surgeries
• Local companies

..and many other organisations.

If you would like a speaker to visit your organisation as part of our extensive Outreach programme please contact us HERE

Some facts about us:

• We are currently recruiting more volunteers. If you are interested in helping Samaritans, either as a Listening Volunteer or as one of our hugely important Support Volunteers, click on the link below for more information.
• The branch has to raise funds to support its running, and all activities. The Taunton volunteers are grateful for the hugely important fundraising activities that help them continue to provide their excellent service.
• Fundraising is an essential element of our work and, together with our outreach work, it helps to increase the visibility of the branch and our service.
• It costs well over £100 per day to run Samaritans of Taunton and Somerset and one simple way to raise money is to do your online shopping via EasyFundraising - a portal that provides access to all major retailers, who will donate a percentage of your spend without it costing you a penny.
• Alternatively, you can text TAUNTON to 70085 which will automatically donate £5 which will help our branch continue to operate, train more volunteers and continue to reach those who are struggling to cope.

For up to date news - please follow us on Twitter @SamaritansTau

To request information - please email [email protected]

If you are interested in becoming a Listening Volunteer or a Support Volunteer - please email [email protected]

You can apply to become a Samaritan at our branch through the Samaritans website, using the link on this page. When you do so, you will be asked to consider some important questions.

Our privacy statement

At Samaritans, privacy is at the heart of what we do. We are committed to protecting your privacy and the personal information that we hold. Read our privacy statement here.