Motion · S5M-18344 · 24 Jul 2019

Samaritans Awareness Day

Lodged by Alex Cole-Hamilton (Scottish Liberal Democrats) Standard Motion 19 supporters

The motion

That the Parliament recognises that 24 July 2019 is Samaritans Awareness Day, which has been established to recognise the work that the charity does every minute of the day, every day of the year; understands that it is dedicated to reducing feelings of isolation and disconnection, which can lead to suicidal thoughts; believes that it has become a leading organisation for suicide prevention, with 19 branches in Scotland, from the Scottish Borders to the Shetland Islands; applauds the work of its 1,000 volunteers in Scotland who provide emotional support to people when they need it most via phone, email, text, letter or face-to-face conversation; recognises that demand for Samaritans’ services has grown considerably over the last six decades; notes that 5,821 people died by suicide in 2017 alone, the majority of whom were men; commends the charity for its ongoing commitment to helping people in most need, and wishes Samaritans the best of luck in developing new ways to support people when they need it most to reduce the number of deaths by suicide.

Supporters (19)

Source: the Scottish Parliament motions and amendments record.