Cambridge

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What we do

We’re here to support and listen to callers, day or night, without judgement and in confidence. We stand with you in your darkest hours, whatever you're facing.

In 2023:

• There wasn't a single second when Samaritans weren't on the phone to someone.
• Every ten seconds a Samaritan answered a call for help.
• One in four calls, that involved emotional support, featured suicidal feelings.
• 70% of callers said their call had a positive impact on how they were feeling, a week after calling*.
• Cambridge branch answered 27,962 calls
• Cambridge branch spent 8,780 hours on the phone
• £55,000 per year to stay open.

*Markham, T., Forshaw, A. and Sutcliffe, R. (2020). Samaritans Caller Outcomes Study. Birmingham: MEL Research Ltd.

“Cambridge Samaritans were my lifeline when I was feeling desperate. They saved my life.”
JW, a caller.

"It’s been fantastic to link with Samaritans locally- it was great to have them at Cambridge Pride running a stall."
Lara Jaffey, CEO, The Kite Trust and co-founder of Pink Festival Group.

Who we are

We are people from all walks of life, from across the Cambridge region. There’s no such thing as a typical Samaritan, but what we have in common is that we’re committed to offering emotional support to anyone in distress.

Our busy branch has over 150 volunteers and our door is always open to new applicants. The branch is active in our local communities, in so many different ways. From outreach in schools and colleges, to our work with Littlehey Prison, to our membership of the Cambridge and Peterborough Suicide Prevention Network, providing a presence at events such as Cambridge Pride and working with Network Rail at our three regional stations…we never stop!

We are an independent, local charity completely run and staffed by our volunteers. We are lucky to have our own building in the heart of Cambridge where we do our listening shifts day and night, and where we train our people.

We can only do what we do thanks to the incredible generosity of our donors and support volunteers. They are key to helping us to be there for people in desperate situations. Take a look at our fundraising pages to see if you can help.

Cambridge branch is proud to be a part of the network of more than 200 branches and locations across the UK and Ireland, having been one of the first to be founded in 1962.

Join us

We really are a community at Cambridge Samaritans. We welcome anyone who wants to join us, and we’re committed to equality and diversity. We think you’ll find us a friendly, sociable, supportive bunch, and we offer great training on the journey to becoming a Samaritan.

Being a Samaritan is demanding and rewarding. What we do really matters. If that’s something you’d like to be part of, please get in touch. Find out more about volunteering for Samaritans.

Fundraise for Us

As an independent charity we need to raise all of our own funding each year. Our Fundraising Team is a mix of Listening Volunteers giving extra time and effort, and Support Volunteers, who help with all sorts of events and activities.

You can help us too!

There are lots of ways in which you can help us to raise vital funds so that we can continue to provide emotional support to people in distress. Here are some ideas of how you can help.

As a company: Contact us to discuss how your company could support us, perhaps with a commitment to donate a set amount each year for 5 years, or by making us your Charity of the Year. You could encourage your employees to raise money for us, by pledging to match any amounts raised. Talk to us by contacting [email protected]

As an event organiser: Are you involved in Cambridge Beer Festival, Cambridge Half Marathon or Cambridge Pride? Could we be your named Charity for 2025 or 2026, with income from your event being donated to us? We recently received a fantastic donation from a dance night where the ticket price was donated to us! Contact [email protected] to talk to us.

As an individual: Are you a runner or a walker, a cyclist or a swimmer? Could you organise a sponsored event or join a bigger event and raise sponsorship for your efforts to donate to us? Or perhaps you prefer less strenuous activities. How about a sponsored knit-in, a cake sale or a games or quiz night?

Perhaps you have a special birthday coming up and don't really want your friends and family to give presents. Could you ask them to donate to us in celebration of your birthday? We can help you to set up a justgiving page or you can donate to this Branch via Enthuse on this website.

Thinking of making a will? Would you consider leaving us a set amount, a percentage of your estate, property or possessions to Cambridge Branch? It's simple to do as part of your will. Your solicitor can advise you or you could contact Samaritans Free Will Writing service. For more details contact us on [email protected] or take a look at https://www.samaritans.org/support-us/leave- gift-your-will/write-or-update-your-will-for-free/ Let us know what ideas you have for raising the vital funds we need?

What your efforts can achieve:

• It costs approximately £2 for us to answer a call from a distressed person
• To maintain the Cambridge Branch for one day costs £150
• For a month the cost is approximately £4500

These costs cover EVERYTHING we need to answer 28-30,000 calls each year. Please help us if you can.

For more information about our work in Cambridge, please email [email protected]

Our privacy statement

Samaritans is committed to protecting privacy and the personal information that we hold. Read our privacy statement here.