It is the aim of Samaritans to make emotional health a mainstream issue. 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.

We strongly believe that there are benefits in going out and visiting organisations, groups and schools to explain the sort of work that we do and to remove the taboos surrounding emotional health. If people know about us then they know where we are when they need us.

Raising awareness in Beechwood Shopping Centre

A dedicated team of volunteers from the Cheltenham & District Branch takes our work out into the community by:

• giving school talks to both primary and secondary schools
• giving talks to clubs, people at their workplace and groups of professionals
• manning stalls in local shopping precincts
• manning stands at events such as the the Cirencester Show, the Moreton-in-Marsh Show and, in association with the Gloucester, Worcester and Hereford branches of Samaritans, the Three Counties Show
• distributing leaflets and providing beer mats in local pubs and inns
• providing nearly 4,500 credit card size leaflets to local educational establishments including Gloucestershire College, the University of Gloucestershire and the Royal Agricultural College. These leaflets go into "goody bags" given to each new student during Freshers' week in September.

By talking about suicide, depression and emotions, we hope we can dispel some of the myths and taboos that surround these subjects.
We therefore have a very dedicated team who will come to your organisation and talk to you about our work. If you would like to arrange a talk then contact us online, phone us on 01242 515777 or write to us at the address above and we will be happy to make arrangements with you.