Suicide prevention charity has trained volunteers to talk to
The charity has a centre in Hammersmith
July 27, 2023
Over 200 people have now been trained to volunteer at The Listening Place on Shepherd’s Bush Road and they are there for you if you need them.
The award-winning team offer free, confidential, face-to-face appointments to people who feel that life is no longer worth living.
All support is provided by trained and professionally supervised volunteers. The team helps people without a waiting list, often offering 50 appointments a day to those in need.
Chief Executive of The Listening Place, Sarah Anderson, said, “Since we started up seven years ago, we have recruited and trained over 1,400 volunteers and received 22,000 referrals of suicidal people.
“We know that for those people who experience support from us, there is a highly significant reduction in their suicidal feelings and distress. This has been achieved by simply listening, caring and being there.
“Our volunteers say that they have learnt so much from our training and have benefitted enormously from being able to give something back to the community.”
It has recently received a grant from Hammersmith and Fulham Council to support its work.
“Since Covid, we know that more residents have been facing mental health challenges. The Listening Place is a really supportive place to turn to for people who are struggling and feeling suicidal. We don’t want anyone to have to face these things alone,” said Cllr Ben Coleman, Deputy Leader of H&F Council.
Click here to book a face-to-face appointment and you can sign up here to join the team of volunteers.
If you have seriously harmed yourself or you feel that you may be about to harm yourself, call 999 for an ambulance or go straight to A&E. Or ask someone else to call 999 or take you to A&E.
You can also the local NHS urgent mental health helpline for free 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 0800 328 4444. The Samaritans can be reached for free on 116123 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Find out more about the support available from the NHS here.
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