The helpline has been running for over five years and is manned by a team of over 20 volunteers, all of whom have undergone an eight week training programme and receive regular on-going training and supervision. Many of our volunteers have their own experience of mental illness. This means that not only are they ideally positioned to be able to empathise with callers, but they also find that they benefit from the training and experience that Mindline provides them. The number of calls Mindline takes has grown rapidly over the last few years – we now take over 1500 calls a year. Callers present with a variety of concerns and for many Mindline is an important part of their own coping strategy – embedded into their routine for keeping themselves well. Consultation with service-users and monitoring of daytime calls to the office has shown that there is a need for the service to be extended into office hours. For carers particularly the daytime is often the only time they have any time away from their dependents to be able to call and off load their worries and anxieties. A recent survey showed that over 30% of calls to the main office outside Mindline opening hours were from people in distress of from carers needing emotional support. To be able to answer these calls effectively we need to extend Mindline’s opening hours to cover office hours. Callers then will be able to speak to a trained volunteer, better equipped to deal with people in crisis. We ask callers and volunteers how Mindline makes in a difference in their lives. They tell us that: • feel empowered to manage their own mental health • benefit from an independent non-statutory service • know they can contact someone if they start to enter crisis • found talking to a sympathetic volunteer reduces their suicidal feelings