Life and Work

Chad Varah, pioneer

Chad Varah is considered a pioneer of talking therapies. Despite having no formal psychiatric qualifications, he initiated this form of support, based on his wider experience in the church, and through establishing the Samaritans service. He found that if a distressed individual could be given time and be listened to, without judgement, they could start to find a way through even the most difficult feelings.

Suicide was illegal in 1950s Britain, making the discussion of related thoughts and fears incredibly difficult for individuals. Chad Varah’s ground-breaking approach to resolving this contributed immeasurably to fundamental changes in the law and attitudes towards this difficult subject. Moreover, Chad’s role in creating an international network of charities to help people in emotional distress and at risk of suicide worldwide, means that it is no exaggeration to say that global society owes him its collective thanks.

 

 

‘Chad was quite simply an extraordinary man. His vision – of a society in which people are able to explore their feelings without fear or prejudice, in turn respecting the feelings of others – has touched millions of people since we started to offer emotional support. His legacy is a strong Samaritans which seeks to make emotional health part of everyday conversation,’ says Samaritans Chief Executive Dominic Rudd.

Samaritans Chair Steve Evans adds: ‘It was Chad’s inspiration and untiring determination that created Samaritans. In 54 years, his founding work has helped literally millions of people around the world. It is our honour and determination to carry on his extraordinary work in the way he would have liked.’

Fulfilling his vow

Despite an initial reluctance to follow in his father’s footsteps, the young Chad was persuaded to study at Lincoln Theological College after graduating in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Keble College, Oxford.

The first funeral Chad Varah took as a curate prompted his lifelong commitment to suicide prevention and education. The funeral was for a 13-year-old girl who had taken her own life because she feared she was seriously ill; in fact she had started to menstruate.

Chad vowed at her graveside to devote himself to helping other people overcome the sort of ignorance and isolation that had ultimately caused the young girl’s death.

 

Offering a listening ear

The opportunity to act on his earlier promise to help people in emotional need came in 1953 when Chad was appointed Rector at the Church of St Stephen Walbrook in the City of London. In the early 1950s, three suicides a day were officially recorded in Greater London; suicide was still an illegal act and sex education hardly existed. Chad advertised in the press for people to help – not as trained counsellors, but as ordinary human beings offering a listening ear and emotional support.

Inundated with offers of help, he opened the first drop-in centre where emotionally isolated and distressed people could go to find a sympathetic ear – and Samaritans was born. Chad continued to run Samaritans until 1987, thereafter remaining an active member of the organisation and retaining a watchful eye over it even after his retirement.

 

Promoting sex education

An early proponent of sex education, Chad Varah alerted society to the approach of the permissive society, usually associated with the 1960s, with an article in the Picture Post in 1952. Far more important to him than the outraged responses of conservative society were the 235 people who wrote in afterwards to bare their souls, 14 of whom showed signs of considering suicide.

 

At work at St Stephen Walbrook in the City of London,
where Samaritans was born in 1953

A lifetime of honours

Chad Varah received many honours as awareness of his achievements grew and more and more people voiced approval of his work:

Thanks to his role as an early advocate of sex education, and his campaigning for tolerance towards people with HIV and AIDS, in 1987 Chad was appointed Patron of the UK’s largest HIV / AIDS charity, the Terrence Higgins Trust.

• Born in Barton-upon-Humber, he was awarded the Freedom of the City of Lincoln in 1999.
• Chad was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2000 Pride of Britain ceremony.
• Also in 2000, The Sunday Times listed Chad as one of the 100 most illustrious and influential Britons of the 20th century.
• In the Millennium New Year’s Honours List, Her Majesty the Queen awarded the Reverend Prebendary Dr Chad Varah the Order of the Companion of Honour for Services to Samaritans. He considered his CH the greatest of his many honours.
• In 2003 the Bishop of London presented him with the Cross of St Erkonwald to mark his long and valued service to the Church of St Stephen Walbrook in the City of London.

 

Chad Varah receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award
from entrepreneur Richard Branson at
the Pride of Britain Awards ceremony in 2000

 

 

 

Chad with his wife Susan (right) and first Samaritans secretary,
Vivien Prosser,appearing on "This Is Your Life" with
Eamonn Andrews in the early years of the TV series

 

Key dates

1911	Born Edward Chad Varah in Lincolnshire, the oldest of nine children
1935	Begins lifelong career in the ministry at St Giles, Lincoln
1940	Marries Doris (Susan) Whanslaw. The couple go on to have a daughter, triplet sons, and a younger son, and later Susan plays a key role in the Church of England as World President of the Mothers’ Union
1940s	Begins ‘second career’ as a comic scriptwriter for Eagle & Girl & Hulton Press
1953	Starts a ‘999 telephone service for the suicidal’ at the Church of St Stephen Walbrook and Samaritans is born – at a time when suicide is illegal
1963	Elected as Samaritans’ first Chair
1972	BBC television series Befrienders, one episode of which featured Chad’s play, 'Nobody Understands Miranda”
1974	Founder Chairman of Befrienders Worldwide and President of Samaritans
1984	Writes the handbook Samaritans: Befriending the suicidal
1992	Founds a new organisation, Magmog (Men Against Genital Mutilation of Girls).
2003	Retires after 50 years as Rector.

The Chad Varah Memorial Appeal

The Chad Varah Memorial Appeal has been established following Chad’s death to ensure that two of the organisations he founded, Samaritans and Befrienders Worldwide, remain an inspiring testament to his life and work well into the 21^st century.

Contribute to the Appeal