The new freephone 116 123 number is now live
Calls to suicide prevention charity Samaritans are now free of charge.
The charity launched the new 116 123 freephone number today in a bid to make it possible for more people who may be struggling to cope to access the vital service.
With people from the lowest social economic groups, living in the most deprived areas, being 10 times more likely to die by suicide than those from more affluent areas, Samaritans chief executive Ruth Sutherland said the launch of the new number was the fulfilment of a long held goal.
It has long been an aspiration for Samaritans to make our helpline number free to callers
“It has long been an aspiration for Samaritans to make our helpline number free to callers, so this is a really positive step in improving access to our life-saving support,” she said.
“We know that call charges can be a barrier to accessing our service, potentially preventing some people from contacting Samaritans when they need us most.”
“Everyone has moments in their life where they struggle to cope and for some this can lead to feeling hopeless and losing sight of being able to work through their problems.
“We know that talking can really help people to see a way through and we would encourage anyone who is struggling to call Samaritans.
“We are here round the clock, every single day of the year, to listen and offer confidential support when things are getting to you.”
Although Samaritans does not charge for its support services, which are run by the charity’s 21,000 dedicated volunteers across the country, until now people contacting its helpline have had to pay for the cost of the call.
The change is thanks to support from the Big Lottery Fund and Vodafone, and the co-operation of the major telecommunications companies.
Peter Ainsworth, Big Lottery Fund UK chair, said: “We are delighted to have helped bring about this important development, which will make Samaritans’ service available to all.
“This is a great example of what partnership working can achieve by ensuring this hugely valuable charity’s helpline will be free of charge to all callers.”
Last year Samaritans’ 21,000 volunteers responded to 5.3 million calls for help, by phone, email, text and face to face.
Calls to the 116 123 helpline number do not appear on phone bills.
