Portsmouth volunteers to promote 24/7 support service with campaign

The Portsmouth branch of Samaritans will be handing out cards and balloons as part of The Big Listen initiative.

The campaign raises awareness of the charity's free 24/7 service available for anyone who needs to talk through their problems.

The campaign launches next Tuesday and there will be a stall outside Debenhams, in Commercial Road, to promote their work and take donations.

Mary Noble, a Samaritans volunteer, said: '˜It's thought that a fifth of people have thought about taking their own life at some point.

'˜When people feel like that, they need to be able to talk about it, which means they need people to listen.

'˜As Samaritans volunteers, we know how much listening to someone at a really low point can help them feel less alone, more able to deal with difficult thoughts and feelings, and give them the time and space to reflect and move on.'

To find out more on the campaign visit samaritans.org/media-centre/big-listen.'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹'‹