Our history

Over the last 70 years, we have answered more than 134 million calls for help.

From the beginning, the power of volunteers - to listen confidentially and without judgment - has been at the heart of our service, helping those who are struggling to cope. With suicide rates still too high, our support is needed now more than ever.

On 2 November 1953, the first ever call was made to a pioneering helpline for people thinking about suicide. Founded in a backroom in London, the helpline was initially known as ‘999 for the suicidal.’ Shortly after its launch, a newspaper article coined the phrase 'Telephone Good Samaritan,' a name that stuck as word spread far and wide. Within a few months, a team of volunteers had stepped forward, and Samaritans as we know it today was born.

The second Samaritans centre was established in Edinburgh in 1959, with many more following over the years. Today, we have around 23,000 volunteers and over 200 branches and locations across the UK and Ireland.

Every 10 seconds, Samaritans responds to a call for help.

Since those early days, Samaritans volunteers have been right there in their communities, offering face-to-face support and attending local events.

We work in schools, prisons, hospitals and communities, and have established a long-running partnership with Network Rail to reduce suicides on the railways.

In 2002, we began offering support by email. In the first year, we received 72,000 emails from people in distress. More recently, we have started to pilot online chat as an alternative for those who prefer not to use the phone.

Suicide prevention has always been at the core of Samaritans' mission. The introduction of the Suicide Act in 1961 was a pivotal moment in history, as it decriminalised suicide. In 2023, after years of campaigning by Samaritans, the Online Safety Act became law in the UK. This marks an important step for suicide prevention, but there is still more work to be done, as dangerous suicide and self-harm content remains accessible to anyone over 18.

In 2024, we will celebrate 30 years since we developed our first media guidelines—an essential resource for those involved in reporting or portraying suicide. This vital work continues to influence the media toward safe reporting.