I did not deal with each of the losses, and now looking back, I kind of went into shutdown as it was just too much to process at once
I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2017 after experiencing months of vague symptoms
I reached out to the RASA 24/7 Helpline during a really difficult time. I had recently moved to a new city and didn’t have any kind of support network yet. After experiencing sexual abuse, I was dealing with a lot of confusion, anger, depression, and isolation.
Matthew had been a dairy farmer all his life. At 52, his life was farming: early mornings, surrounded by nature, the outdoors, his cattle, and — most importantly — the companionship of his older brother, with whom he had shared both work and life.
But when Matthew phoned Rural Support in 2025, things on the farm had changed.
I heard of the Child Death Helpline when I saw a poster in my doctor’s surgery.
I’d always been reasonably confident, but in my 40s anxiety arrived. I had a stigma that getting mental health support was a sign of weakness.
I thought I knew grief, having lost my parents at a relatively young age, but when our Matty lost his battle with his mental health in 2022, I experienced grief on another level.
It’s been a year of challenge and change—both for our sector and for society more widely. The helpline landscape is evolving all the time, shaped by increasing demand, new pressures, and the growing complexity of the issues people are facing.
We’re excited to announce that the shortlist for the 2025 Helpline Awards has now been confirmed.
The shortlist for the 2025 Helpline Awards has now been confirmed.