EXCLUSIVE: Meet the Samaritans volunteers answering calls 24/7
We're invited inside a branch of Samaritans to mark their 24/7 Awareness Day
Last updated 24th Jul 2026
Samaritans received 720,000 calls last year between the hours of 10pm and 6am.
So to mark Samaritans Awareness Day, held annually on the 24th of July (24/7), we've been given exclusive access to a night shift to speak with volunteers and hear about the life saving work of the organisation.
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.
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, who called Samaritans during a time of crisis earlier in her life.
She sets out how crucial it is that they are there 24/7.
How to speak to Samaritans
Calls to Samaritans are picked up at branches around the UK.
Isla is a volunteer at the Leeds branch and explains how the calls work, and what life is like for a volunteer on a late shift.
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.