Reach
Talk to us, we’ll listen
We’re reaching out to make sure people know Samaritans is here to listen, whatever they’re going through. We need to be visible and relevant to a more diverse range of people and communities, especially those whose circumstances mean they may be at higher risk of suicide.
Support for the military community
In September 2022, we launched the pilot of our dedicated emotional wellbeing support line for veterans. This service now receives around 100-150 calls from veterans each month and is continuing to grow. This service will fully launch in March 2024 and will be closely linked with our military online chat service.
Samaritans Veterans is a free app that helps people manage the emotional challenges of leaving a career in the Armed Forces. Since its launch in 2021, it has been used by over 3,600 members of the military community. The browser version has a 76 percent user engagement rate and over 46 percent of people who use it regularly.
Small Talk Saves Lives
Phase six of our Small Talk Saves Lives campaign launched on 21 February 2023, encouraging people to look out for others if they think they might need help and to trust their instincts and start a conversation that could save a life. This campaign was run in partnership with Network Rail, British Transport Police and the wider rail industry.
As part of the launch, we hosted a ‘no filter café’ at Manchester Piccadilly station, where volunteers invited people to practise their small talk in exchange for a hot drink. Over 80 branches took part in station and community events to raise awareness in their local communities.
Asking someone ‘are you OK?’, three simple words that even if they end up being fine, it’s a nice thing you’ve done anyway. It’s about showing others we care and that they’re not alone.
Channique, Coronation Street actor and Samaritans volunteer, who supported Small Talk Saves Lives
Brew Monday, Edinburgh station
We also held a parliamentary drop-in event in Westminster attended by over 30 parliamentarians, keen to show their support.
We had our most successful Brew Monday ever on social media and for the first time, we succeeded in getting the #BrewMonday hashtag trending at number two on Twitter.
Reaching out
Samaritans volunteers are at the heart of their communities, raising awareness and offering support in a range of places – from local Pride events to hospitals, sports clubs, food banks, universities and workplaces. We’re even at festivals: last year our UK Festival branch provided emotional support to almost 2,000 people across 16 events.
Samaritans on social
12.8%
is how much we grew our social media audience by
2M
is how many engagements we had on our social media content
17.2%
is how much our engagement rate grew on social media
5 nations, 1 vision
Samaritans has branches across the UK and Ireland, and thousands of volunteers working with communities in every nation to let people know we’re here for them.
Farmer Peter Hynes with Samaritans volunteer Aileen
Gary Milling, Governor of Magilligan Prison, and Samaritans Ireland Assistant Director Mark Kennedy
Fiona, West Highlands and Skye Project Manager
The National Eisteddfod of Wales
England
In Ware, Hertfordshire, Samaritans volunteers worked with Gypsy and Traveller communities with the support of GATE Herts, a Gypsy and Traveller advocacy and advice charity. We formed a positive relationship with the community and produced two films aimed at raising awareness of our services. The Gypsy and Traveller community faces significant mental health challenges and high suicide rates, so building our cultural awareness is essential to working with this community.