Banish the Monday blues with a Samaritans brew

Rochdale, Oldham and District Samaritans is encouraging people to beat Blue Monday by getting together for a cuppa on Monday 21 January for Brew Monday.

Dubbed ‘the most difficult day of the year’, the charity is turning the third Monday in January on its head and is hoping to banish the January blues by encouraging friends, family and work mates to have a chat over a brew.

Samaritans volunteers from Rochdale Oldham and District branch will be at Rochdale, Greenfield and Mills Hill stations chatting to commuters and handing out free tea bags for an essential cuppa.

Milnrow and District WI will also be holding a tea party at the Yarn Barn everyone from the area is invited to stop in for a chat and a brew.

“Isolation and loneliness are one of the main reasons people contact Samaritans, so getting together for a brew with friends can provide a lift on what is meant to be one of the most difficult days of the year.”

Ian Stevens, Network Rail’s Suicide Prevention program manager said: “Brew Monday is a great opportunity for the rail industry to show its support for Samaritans and the great work they do in helping people up and down the country.

“Millions of people use the rail network every day and if through this campaign we can encourage them to talk about their problems over a cup of tea, we will have made a significant contribution to their lives and to the lives of those around them.”

Located on Caton Street, the Rochdale, Oldham and District branch of Samaritans currently has 74 volunteers helping to answer some of the 5 million calls for help that Samaritans responds to every year from people going through a difficult time. 

The branch also provides other support within the community.

They have a prison team who visit HMP Buckley Hall once a month and a team who offer support at the Anthony Seddon Foundation on a monthly basis.

Find out how you can get involved with Brew Monday here:

• www.samaritans.org/media-centre/our-campaigns/brew-monday

Make a donation, you could help save a life:

• mydonate.bt.com/charities/rochdaleoldhamdistrictsamaritans