The Duchess of Cambridge was on hand to thank Shout volunteers as the mental health text line celebrated its millionth conversation.
During her visit, Kate met with three Shout volunteers to hear more about their experiences as volunteers and how using the skills they’ve acquired have helped them beyond volunteering with the charity. Selena told Kate that she became a Shout volunteer to “give back and help others who are in a similar place know that help is out there and there’s a light in the darkness.”
Kate also met with a volunteer named Alexis, who began helping out at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, and Angus, one of Shout’s first volunteers. After speaking with 13-year-old Leo Street, a teenager who slept outside every night last year in a bid to raise £8,000 for Shout, the Duchess hailed him as an inspiration and told the young man, who is also a Scout, “There really isn’t a big enough Scout badge for that. What you achieved is really inspiring.”
Kate also met with researchers behind the data at Shout to hear how the textline’s conversation data has been able to provide insight into mental health in the United Kingdom and viewed a live demonstration of how Shout volunteers aid those seeking support.
Shout’s Chief Executive thanked Kate for visiting to celebrate “the commitment of our outstanding volunteers, fundraisers and clinicians who have made it possible for us to provide one million hours of mental health support to people in immediate distress.”
Victoria Hornby continued: “The Covid-19 pandemic has taken a huge toll on the mental health of the nation, and demand for support has surged. To ensure we can continue to be there for everyone who needs us, 24/7, we are asking members of the public to join our pioneering community of volunteers today. You could help save a life.”
Shout was publicly launched in May 2019 as a free, confidential mental health textline that pairs trained volunteers with those in crisis texting the service. Kensington Palace notes that usage has increased by 140% since the beginning of the pandemic.
The textline was supported by The Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (along with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who, at its creation, were still working with the Royal Foundation) as a legacy programme from the Heads Together initiative as is run by Mental Health Innovations.
