Find out more about the discontinued ‘Brenda Line’ and how current or former volunteers on the service can share their experiences with us.
About the ‘Brenda line’
The historical so-called ‘Brenda line’ was a separate telephone service run alongside Samaritans core service between the 1970s and 80s.
It was delivered by some female volunteers who were trained to take calls that were seeking sexual gratification. It was developed by the founder of Samaritans in response to a large number of obscene calls being received and in the belief that such callers should still be afforded time.
The line was rightly ended in 1987 but it still represents a challenging part of our organisational history. Samaritans’ policies today are very different and we do not tolerate calls from people seeking to misuse the service.
Today Samaritans considers all calls to the service made by individuals seeking sexual gratification to be wholly unacceptable. It is the case that as we reflect on our history we are of the view that the Brenda Line should not have existed.
We do not invite or tolerate calls of this nature. Our volunteers are trained and supported to recognise and end these calls promptly; often this will be immediate action if it is clear that the caller is misusing our service.
We invite any current or former volunteers who were involved in the ‘Brenda line’ at that time, and who would like to share, in confidence, any reflections on their experience with us, to get in touch.
You can email our leadership team at [email protected]
Reporting and whistleblowing
Samaritans is committed to providing an environment and culture that respects the rights and dignity of every individual. We take a zero tolerance approach to bullying and harassment today and for any past experience.
You can make a report:
By phone
Call on 020 8394 8313 in the UK, or 0189 20946 if you've accessed the service in Ireland (this is charged at a local Irish rate).
These phonelines are typically available from Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, excluding bank holidays.
By email
Reach us at [email protected].
This inbox is typically monitored from Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, excluding bank holidays.
By letter
Write to us at: Quality and Service Improvement Team, Samaritans, The Upper Mill, Kingston Road, Ewell, Surrey, KT17 2AF