Driving awareness as Samaritans Smart Car tours the nation for 24:7
Wednesday 7 July 2010
– For Immediate Release –
The engine is well-oiled and
is warming up in anticipation of the first-ever national Samaritans
Smart Car tour, just days away from accelerating into action.
Sponsored by Admiral, Samaritans volunteers
from across England, Scotland and Wales are in gear, ready to make
this year’s 24:7 national awareness campaign the best yet.
Samaritans national
awareness day is Saturday 24 July. The charity that helps millions
of people in emotional distress and at risk of suicide will be
raising awareness of its vital 24-hour service.
Motoring through England,
Scotland and Wales, the iconic green Smart Car will zoom into
action on Saturday 10 July and will be on the road until Saturday
24 July (24/7) when it reaches its final pit stop in Birmingham.
*** See diary notice below***
Visiting over 175 Samaritans
branches across the three nations and covering almost 5,000 miles
during its two-week tour, the car will be driven by local MPs
including Daniel Kawczynski and Andrew Jones. Mayors and celebrity
supporters including the popular racing driver character The
Stig will also take to the road.
The Smart Car will pull into
Admiral’s head office in Cardiff on Friday 16 July where it will be
greeted by over 1,500 employees who will be busy taking part in
activities to raise funds for Samaritans.
Justin Beddows from Admiral
said: “We are thrilled to be teaming up with Samaritans for this
year’s 24:7 national awareness day. The car will take to the roads
day and night, raising both awareness of Samaritans’ and Admiral’s
support of its service.”
Catherine Johnstone, Chief Executive with
Samaritans said: “Saturday 24 July – 24/7 – is the perfect day to
raise awareness of Samaritans’ round-the-clock availability. The
charity is the only service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week, offering support to anyone experiencing emotional distress.
We hope that you will all keep your eyes peeled to spot the Smart
Car racing around the UK.”
Call Assist are kindly sponsoring the break
down cover for the duration of the journey.
Visit Samaritans’ interactive 24:7 map
for information about the Smart Car tour and other events in your
area: http://www.samaritans247.org/
For more information or images from the event
contact Claire Duncan on 020 8394 8345 or email c.duncan@samaritans.org
* * * * DIARY NOTICE * * * *
Who:MPs, local mayors, celebrity
supporters, Samaritans volunteers and Admiral employees
What: Samaritans 24:7 national awareness day -
Smart Car tour 2010
When: Various times from Saturday 10 – Saturday 24
July
Where: 175 Samaritans branches across England,
Scotland and Wales
Requirement: Please contact Claire Duncan on
020 8394 8345 or email c.duncan@samaritans.org
to attend any photo call event or for more information
Notes to editors
About Samaritans
Samaritans' vision is for a society where fewer people die by
suicide because people are able to share feelings of emotional
distress openly without fear of being judged. Samaritans
believes that offering people the opportunity to be listened to in
confidence, and accepted without prejudice, can alleviate despair
and suicidal feelings.
Samaritans is a registered charity, founded in
1953, which offers 24-hour confidential emotional support to anyone
in emotional distress. The service is offered by 16,534
trained volunteers and is entirely dependent on voluntary
support. Across the UK, you can call Samaritans on 08457 90
90 90 (1850 60 90 90 in the Republic of Ireland) email jo@samaritans.org, write to
Samaritans at Chris, PO Box 9090, Stirling, FK8 2SA, or if you are
deaf or hard of hearing use the single national minicom number
08457 90 91 92. Log on to www.samaritans.org for more information.
Calls from BT will be charged at up to 2 pence per minute at all
times. A call set-up fee of 7 pence applies to calls from
residential lines. Mobile and other providers' charges may
vary.
About Admiral
Samaritans is Admiral’s Charity of the
Year.
1. Admiral, (a trading name
of EUI Ltd) launched in 1993, and is part of Admiral Group plc. It
was set up to target those motorists who traditionally pay higher
than average premiums, including those under-35, living in cities
or driving hot hatches.
2. Admiral writes its motor
insurance business to a consortium of insurers, these being:
· Admiral Insurance
Company Ltd
· Admiral Insurance
(Gibraltar) Limited
· Great Lakes Reinsurance
(UK) plc
3. Admiral’s salesline is
0800 600 800 - open from 8am to 10pm on weekdays, from 9 am to 5pm
on Saturdays, and on a Sunday between 10am and 4pm
4. Admiral’s web site
address is http://www.admiral.com/
5. The Admiral Group employs over 3,000
people, has 2.0 million customers