We talk about The Samaritans a lot here at SeeTheUniverse as they are an incredible charity that do not receive as much credit as they deserve! Today is their ‘Big Talk’ where they aim to raise awareness of the amazing work that they do as well as their plans for improving their charity in the future.

You can contact the Samaritans in the following ways…
– Calling 116 123 – this is free and they are open 24/7 all year around.
– Email: Jo@Samaritans.org – you may wait 24 hours for a response, but this is a good method of contact for those who are not in immediate need for intervention and for those who feel as though they can express themselves better in writing.
– Letters: Freepost Samaritans Letters – This method of contact will take the longest to gain a response, however, there is something comforting and uplifting about receiving letters in the post!
– They are also in the process of trying to create an online chat option!

The Samaritans 2022-2027 Strategy: ‘Tacking Suicide Together’
The Samaritans purpose is to be there for people who are struggling to cope in a time of crisis… and this is more vital than ever before.

In order to achieve their vision of less people losing their life to suicide, they need to work on broadening their impact on society, by working with others to make changes that could save lives.

With help from those who use their services, those who have been affected by suicide or experienced suicidal thoughts and those who volunteer to work with them, they have identified five main priorities to focus on over the next 5-years:

Access: To make sure anyone who needs to, can access their support.

Reach: To reach more people and let them know that they are there for them.

Impact: To make their voice heard at a national, regional and local level to achieve maximum impact.

Capacity: Increase capacity to become one team of valued, diverse and skilled people.

Sustainability: Build meaningful relationships with their supporters in order to ensure stability for the future.

You can read more about their strategy and how they plan an achieving these goals here!
And please, if you can, donate towards their cause! They do such a great deal for thousands of people each and every day and they need our support in return.