Samaritans Redbridge Branch Wins £500 CMS Social Impact Fund Grant
We are delighted to be awarded a £500 grant from the CMS Social Impact Fund
to help us continue delivering our service, be there for people when they most
need it and to ultimately reduce the number of deaths by suicide and save
lives.
The CMS Social Impact Fund, an initiative by international law firm CMS, aims to support
charitable organisations that make a positive social impact in communities where CMS
staff live and work, focusing on three themes from the UN’s Sustainable Development
Goals: Climate Action, Reduced Inequalities, and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
As a Charity, our callers contact us to talk about whatever it is they are facing where
they may be experiencing emotional distress and/or thoughts of suicide. It could be many
things but often will be mental health/illness, family concerns, feelings of
isolation/loneliness, relationship problems, money issues or employment challenges.
Our volunteers are there to listen in a non-judgmental way to allow callers to talk freely,
giving them time and space to process their thoughts and feelings and make their own
decisions. In a typical year, our volunteers freely give over 12,000 hours of their time to
support and deliver our service. As a Branch, we answer around 6,000 calls a year and
this grant will help us support these people in need.
The need for our service is perhaps best illustrated by the amazing feedback we receive
from callers and the fact that Samaritans nationally responds to over 3 million contacts a
year. Here are some testimonials:
“I spoke to a volunteer and wondering if there’s any way you would be able to
trace that call and send my thanks to her. She stayed with me on the call even
though it was late and honestly, I can’t thank her enough. She quite literally saved
my life. Thank you!”
“I’ve been calling Samaritans for three years and I’ve not had to be in a
psychiatric hospital once. Talking to Samaritans is better than any therapy.”
“Samaritans has helped me change my life and I can see that there is hope there
now.”
“As long as I’ve got Samaritans in my corner, I’ve got a fighting chance.”
“While we were at an event, a man came up and made a donation. We had a
conversation and he told me he had tried to take his life twice and luckily failed.
He wanted us to know how important we are and he hopes he does not need us in
the future. He said that he would not be here or have a fulfilling life if not for us
being there.”
With a high amount of applications this year, we are thrilled to be amongst other
fantastic charities who have been awarded the CMS Social Impact Fund 2024 grant.
Thank you CMS!
Ezra Neil, Samaritans Redbridge Branch Director, said:
“On behalf of Samaritans Redbridge Branch, we are delighted to receive the
generous donation of £500 from CMS. Thank you so much for choosing to donate
to us - we are so grateful for your support. Thank you!”