Contact us
116 123 free from any phone
0330 094 5717 local call charges apply
46 Marshall Street
London W1F 9BF
Where we work
Westminster, K&C, Camden, City of London, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Islington
How we can help
We train prisoners to become listeners and then we offer them support on a weekly basis as part of our national prisons programme
Volunteers go out to visit young people from the ages of 6 up to 21 to talk about the importance of looking after our emotional health
We have listening volunteers available around the clock every day of the year to offer confidential emotional support
Accessibility information
- Accessible toilets
- Wheelchair accessible
We're still unable to see visitors face to face, but we'll reopen once all legal COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted. We continue to support callers by phone and email.
As the founding branch of the organisation, Central London Samaritans has been providing emotional support for people who are struggling to cope for almost 70 years. Our volunteers are here to listen around the clock, every single day of the year.
Our volunteers
Typically, each year our approx. 400 volunteers:
- donate 80,000 hours to run our charity – equivalent to 44 full time staff!
- respond to over 70,000 calls for help via phone and emails;
- support up to 4,000 contacts face to face;
- help over 2,000 of London’s most vulnerable people including the homeless, the LGBT+ community, those bereaved by suicide & people in custody;
- raise awareness with young people through our schools and university outreach programme reaching up to 4,000 pupils and students.
Our impact
Getting a response from a real person and being given the time and space to talk things through helps people to find a way through their problems.
When people contact Samaritans for emotional support, they often mention several concerns. In 2019, some of the primary concerns raised related to isolation and loneliness, family, mental health or illness, physical health or illness, and relationship problems. Suicidal feelings are expressed during 1 in 4 calls for help that involve emotional support.
In a recent study, callers to Samaritans’ helpline reported a significant reduction in distress. A week after calling Samaritans, eight out of ten callers said they felt the call had a positive impact on how they were feeling (Markham, T., Forshaw, A. and Sutcliffe, R. (2020). Samaritans Caller Outcomes Study. Birmingham: MEL Research Ltd).
Support our branch
We rely entirely on donations from the public, businesses and other organisations. It costs around £350,000 a year to run our branch. Help us answer more calls for support at this crucial time. Any gift you feel able to give us will help us continue to reach those who are struggling to cope. You can donate to our branch via our donation form, JustGiving, Virgin Money Giving, Text Giving or PayPal Giving Fund.
Events & fundraising
- Guided Tour - Revolting London
- Samarathon
- Fundraise online with us
- Sing for Samaritans
- Music for the Mind
- Take on a challenge
- Greeting cards
- Soho Fete
- No call for help goes unanswered
If you are interested in any of these events, please get in touch with our team.
We're hiring!
We're looking for an External Relations Lead to join our small team. Check out our current vacancy here.
Room hire
Our room hire service is currently suspended until further notice. We are following the governments guidance and will be back when it is safe.
Follow us here to keep up-to-date with what we're doing and share our message on Twitter.
Trustees
Please click here to see our CLS Trustees.
Annual Reports
Read and download our reports here.
Our privacy statement
At Samaritans, privacy is at the heart of what we do. We are committed to protecting your privacy and the personal information that we hold. Read our privacy statement here.