Samaritans Awareness Day is today 24th of July (24/7), because they’re there to listen 24/7. On this date and throughout July, they’re running a campaign Talk to Us, to remind everyone that they’re here for anyone who needs someone to listen.
Local help
Margaret Jones, the outreach director of Samaritans in Colchester explains a bit more.
“Samaritans Awareness day is an annual campaign held every July 24th. It’s to underline the importance of lending an ear to those who are going through mental health problems.”
“We offer a listening service for anyone who is going through a tough time and needs emotional support. We call it ‘active listening’ where we listen intently and ask gentle questions to find out what is causing our caller’s distress.”
What they do
“We do not give advice as we don’t know the full situation, but will signpost if we feel it is appropriate We hope that by talking things through our caller will start to think of options. Our callers come from all over the UK and sometimes abroad.”
“We receive several calls from those who find themselves homeless and need someone to talk to. We also regularly visit Beacon House in Colchester.”
Don’t wait until it’s too late
“Important to note that you do NOT need to be suicidal to call us. We hope that by talking earlier on we can prevent someone reaching crisis point.”
If you need to speak to someone in confidence, call 116 123
