Support pages

Here to help

One in four of us will experience a mental health issue in any given year. The economic cost of mental ill-health is estimated at £74-99 billion a year - and the human cost is incalculable.

We all have mental health and, just like our physical health, it needs looking after. The first step is talking to someone. We are here for you whether you just need a friendly paw to hold, someone to listen or assistance on other charities and helplines to contact.

If you are in need of urgent help, please refer to the 'crisis support' information at the bottom of the page or call 999 in a medical emergency.

Useful helplines

Samaritans

Phone: 116 123 Email: jo@samaritans.org Opening Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Samaritans provide emotional support for people 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They allow people to talk about feelings of distress and despair; they are confidential and offer nonjudgmental support.

Not everyone has friends and family to talk to about their mental health. Even for those who do, sometimes being able to speak with someone neutral can be even more beneficial.

Samaritans will keep conversations private, so they can't pass the information you give them onto anyone else and won't judge or insist on giving advice.

Samaritans website

SANEline

Phone: 0300 304 7000 Email: support@sane.org.uk Opening Hours: Daily, 4.30 pm to 10.30 pm

SANEline offers out of hours emotional support and information to anyone affected by mental health problems, as well as their families and carers.

They are run by the charity, SANE, who also offer a Textcare service and online Support Forum where people share their feelings and experiences. These services are provided by a team of volunteers who undergo rigorous training and dedicate hundreds of hours of their free time.

COVID-19 update: please call 07984 967 708 leaving your first name and contact number, and one of the SANEline team will call back as soon as practicable.

SANE website

Papyrus UK

Phone: 0800 068 4141 Email: pat@papyrus-uk.org Opening Hours: 9am – 10pm mon-fri, 2pm – 10pm sat & sun

Papyrus UK offers a helpline, called HOPELINEUK, for children and young people under the age of 35 who are experiencing thoughts of suicide.

If you are having thoughts of suicide, or are concerned for a young person who might be, you can contact them for confidential support and practical advice.

Advisers want to work with you to understand why these thoughts of suicide might be present. They also want to provide you with a safe space to talk through anything happening in your life that could be impacting on your, or anyone else’s, ability to stay safe.

Papyrus UK website

Crisis support

Mental Health emergencies are just as serious as physical ones. Please take immediate action if you, or someone you know, is in a mental health crisis and needs urgent medical attention; or you feel a life may be at risk.

Take one of the following steps now:

Call 999 (emergency services)
Go to your nearest Accident & Emergency (A&E) department

If there is no medical emergency and you do not feel a life may be at risk, but you still need urgent help, take one of the following steps:

Click this link to find your nearest NHS Urgent Mental Health Helpline
Ring 111 for professional health advice 24/7 and 365 days a year for guidance on where to access appropriate health services
Ask for an urgent appointment with your GP

Alternative support

Counselling and Psychological Therapies:

NHS find a psychological therapies service (England only)
The BAATN (The Black, African and Asian Therapy Network) website has a list of free services where members of the BAME community can access free therapy and counselling.

Text Support:

The UK’s first 24/7 text service, Shout, is available for anyone in crisis anytime, anywhere. It’s a place to go if you’re struggling to cope and you need immediate help.

Specific Topics:

The Helpine Partnership's 'Find a Helpline' search engine provides a variety of helplines based on your location and the type of support needed. Organisations can be contacted via phone, email, text, or online quickly and easily.

Need someone to talk to?

We are here to listen. We are a team of fully trained Mental Health First Aiders that are ready to speak with you about anything on your mind, or if you're worried about someone else.

Please leave us a message and we will get back to you as soon as we can. There are also some useful websites/helplines of other people you can speak to listed below.