The Samaritans

We are one of the 201 Samaritans branches in the UK and Ireland and we’ve been supporting the North Yorkshire community since 1964.

We were actually the first rural branch to be set up in the UK.

At the time, the local farming communities were suffering various hardships. James Herriot, a local vet at that time, since known for his books and from the television series, All Creatures Great and Small, witnessed at first hand some of these financial restraints and was actually one of our first volunteers.

Those early volunteers often simply had ‘heart to heart’ talks with people, in the pub or in their own homes – but it was soon realised that a more professional approach was needed. In the mid-Seventies, we purchased the building at 7 Crosby Road and from that day to this, have welcomed people who need someone to talk to, in complete confidence, whether in person or over the telephone.