Samaritans Light Up County Hall

County Hall in Taunton will be lit up in green on the night of 24th July in support of the work done throughout Somerset by Samaritans.

The date 24/7 is a significant one for the charity which prides itself on being available to give emotional support to callers every hour of the day and night.

The scheme to light up County Hall in Samaritan colours highlights Somerset's commitment to suicide prevention and raises awareness of the support needed by so many people who are struggling to cope.

Volunteers at the Taunton branch of Samaritans, at 16Wood Street, answered over 40,000 calls last year, with volunteers putting in 580 hours of their own time to help those who are in distress or despair, including those who are suicidal.

Together with branches in Bath, Weston Super Mare and Yeovil, they provide round the clock services – listening to calls, answering emails and texts and talking to anyone who comes into the branch.

Every six seconds, someone in the UK and Republic of Ireland contacts Samaritans and, on average, 17 people per day take their own life.

Samaritans believes that listening is crucial to helping people find their way through their problems, and the charity encourages people to seek help early, rather than wait until they reach a crisis.
Director of Taunton Samaritans, Bob Cornes, said:

 “Lighting up County Hall in Samaritans colours is a visual reminder of our commitment to helping those in need of emotional support.  We hope they will call us.  It is also a reminder for anyone out there who wants to make a real difference to people’s lives to think about joining Samaritans as a volunteer.   It is an incredibly rewarding experience.”

Volunteers from Taunton Samaritans will be available at Taunton Station on 24/7 to talk to travellers and to collect money for the charity, which relies entirely on donations to run the branch.

Further information:

Samaritans 24 hour Helpline:     116 123 (free from any phone)
To volunteer for Taunton Samaritans: director@tauntonsamaritans.org.uk
To volunteer for Samaritans elsewhere: online at www.samaritans.org
Notes for Editors and Media Guidelines are available at www.samaritans.org