'Samaritans saved my life' says Worcestershire woman, as part of exclusive look into the charity's 24/7 work
We were invited inside a branch of Samaritans to mark their 24/7 day
A Worcestershire woman has urged anyone struggling with their mental health to reach out, after we received an exclusive insight into the work being carried out by one of the UK's biggest mental health charities after dark.
Samaritans received 720,000 calls last year between the hours of 10pm and 6am.
To mark Samaritans Awareness Day, held annually on the 24 July (24/7), we've been given access to a night shift to speak with volunteers and hear about the life saving work of the organisation.
Never too late to call Samaritans
Samaritans is a charity that provides free, confidential, 24/7 emotional support to anyone struggling to cope or experiencing suicidal thoughts.
Hits Radio's Senior Correspondent Mick Coyle was given exclusive access to the Leeds branch to meet trained volunteers preparing for shifts between 10pm and 5am.
In the documentary "Never Too Late" we'll hear how the volunteers come from all walks of life, and we'll also meet Laura from Worcestershire, who called Samaritans during a time of crisis earlier in her life.
Click here to listen to our documentary "Never Too Late"
Note: Calls to Samaritans are confidential, and no calls were recorded, or listened to as part of this documentary.
Laura's story
Laura said she struggled with her mental health since a young age, with the "worst time of the day" being the night time for her, the time of day in which she decided to reach out for support.
"It was in the middle of the night and I think I was more scared of what might happen if I didn't pick up the phone than what could possibly happen if I picked up the phone to speak to somebody," she said.
"I just remember thinking if I don't do something now, I don't know what's going to happen to me."
She said she can recall the first conversation she had and how it helped her.
"I just remember vividly from what I could tell it was kind of an older lady on the other end of the phone and she just listened to what I had to say," she said.
"For me at that time, I just needed somebody to hear me and to not say, well, have you tried this? Have you thought about this? I just needed that person to just say, okay, I hear you, I hear what you're saying, and that must be really hard.
"It just opened up the kind of idea that actually what I'm going through is okay and it kind of gave me permission to seek further help, which is what I really needed.
"I have said this multiple times and I will say it forever, but I think the Samaritans saved my life, I think those calls that I had with the Samaritans at night are the reason why I'm sitting here today."
How to speak to Samaritans
Calls to Samaritans are picked up at branches around the UK.
Originating in London in the 1950s, there are now more than 200 branches of Samaritans across the UK and Ireland, with 19,000 active volunteers receiving calls from across the UK.
If you want to speak to a Samaritans volunteer, the number is 116 123.
You can also speak to someone in branch or chat online
Special thanks to the volunteers and branch for opening their doors to us.