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00:01 MONDAY 15 JANUARY2018

NINE OUT OF TEN BRITS BELIEVE IN REACHING OUT TO OTHERS WITH A BREW, SAYS SAMARITANS

Samaritans is turningBlue Mondayinto Brew Mondaytoday (15 Jan) by encouraging people to get together for a cup of tea and a chat on what has been dubbedthe most difficult day of the year.

And us Brits believe tea and talking is a great way to connect with people.

Nine out of ten of those who responded to a YouGov survey commissioned for Brew Monday believe having a cuppa and a chat with someone who may be lonely is a good way of reaching out to them.

Eight out of ten believe getting together for a tea and a talk makes them feel better, and seven out of ten people aged 18-24 said they would like more time to sit and chat. Eight out of ten students in full time education believed people should talk over a drink more often during the day.*

Comedian Ross Noble, TV and radio broadcasterYasmin Evans, poet Hussain Manawer, Libertines vocalistCarl Barât, Years & Years lead singerOlly Alexander and Olympic champion Audley Harrison MBE are among the famous faces sharing their best tea-making tips to get people supping and chatting over a cuppa. Stand-up comediansMaisie Adam and Bec Hill are on board too.

National treasure Barbara Windsor has brought the quirky tea and coffee related animationsof cartoonistEdward Monkton to life with her trademark naughty giggle for the campaign.

The celebrities have gottogether for a brew to champion the ‘best’ way to make tea (or coffee), revealing their innermost milk, sugar and biscuit dunking secrets in a Brew Mondayvideo.

Life can be tough at any time of year and Brew Monday aims to get people talking, not just about tea, but about anything that may be bothering them. Workplaces up and down the UK, ranging from the Bank of England and PwC to Yorkshire Tea and biscuit makers McVitie’s, are staging Brew Monday tea and chat fundraising events.

Samaritans volunteers are giving out free tea bags at stations and events all over the country, encouraging us all to get together for a supportive brew.

Samaritans CEO Ruth Sutherland said: “Challenging feelings aren’t seasonal and pressurescan pile up over time and become overwhelming. Samaritans’ Brew Monday gives you the chance to sit down with someone and talk to them, or listen to them over a cup of tea, or coffee if you prefer. No matter what your brew, it’s great to get together and support each other. We’re grateful to everyone who’s making it a date to raise funds for Samaritans too, so that for people who feel they have nowhere else to turn, we can always be there.”

To support Samaritans on Brew Monday, get together with friends or work colleagues for a cuppa and share your moment on social media using the hashtag #BrewMonday. Or make a donation by going to:

You can follow@samaritans on Twitter, @samaritanscharity on Instagram or find us on facebook

-ENDS-

For further information, photos and interviews, please contact or 020 8394 8300.A full press pack including photos, animations and videos is available here.

Notes to editors:

  • Find out more about Brew Monday at
  • Download a Press Pack here:
  • * YouGov survey of 2073 UK adults, carried out for Samaritans between 25-26 October 2017. Data was weighted to be representative of all UK adults.
  • Blue Monday is the name often given to the third Monday in January, dubbed the most difficult day of the year, with dark days, cold weather, broken resolutions, credit card bills to pay, and no holidays to look forward to.
  • Anyone can contact Samaritans for FREE any time from any phone on 116 123. This number won’t show up on your phone bill. Or you can email or visit to find details of your nearest branch.
  • Samaritans is a charity and it’s the public’s kind donations and more than 20,000 volunteers that mean we are always there for anyone struggling to cope. Find out how you can support us at
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