Shout: A Partnership Story
Shout is the UK’s only free 24/7 text mental health support service.
Currently, Shout has 2,100 trained volunteers and has already had 1.5 million text conversations with children, young people and adults in distress – that’s around 2,000 conversations per day.
We’re delighted to announce that we have a new partner charity.
A huge welcome to Shout, the UK’s only free 24/7 text mental health support service. Launched in May 2019, Shout has already taken more than 1.5 million text conversations – and performed a crucial role during the pandemic, when they were one of the few organisations able to operate a normal service.
Read on to learn more about Shout’s vital work supporting those facing anxiety, depression, stress or suicidal thoughts – and to uncover the unique story of how our partnership with Shout was formed.
It all started with an out-of-the-blue email from Edie…
In July 2022, we were contacted by Edie , a visitor to our website who’d discovered our service via a sponsored Instagram post. She wrote to tell us that she was happy to come across a clothes collection service like ours – one that doesn’t require social interaction. However, she was keen for her donation to benefit a charity that helped those facing mental health challenges. In Edie’s words:‘The main barriers for me in donating clothes to charity shops result from mental ill health and neurodivergence, and I bet I’m not the only one – so I’m thinking it would be amazing to see a charity option that connects with that.’
Edie went on to alert us to Shout’s incredible work – and suggested that they’d be a good fit for us. To quote from her email again:
‘I just felt that what you do will resonate so much with those of us with barriers around social interaction, which is also what I love about charities like Shout.’
… with a brilliant idea for a new partner charity
It’s always been our intention to expand the list of charities we partner with – both to give you greater choice when donating your preloved clothes and to benefit more incredible causes. In fact, we’re in the process of forming partnerships with other inspirational British charities… watch this space!
However, we instantly loved the idea of collaborating with Shout. One of the benefits of our clothes collection service is that it empowers those who want to donate clothes but who – for whatever reason – find it difficult to make it to charity shops. So it made perfect sense to us to support a charity whose service supports individuals experiencing a variety of mental health challenges.
We wasted no time in connecting with Shout – who agreed that we’d be a perfect fit
After receiving Edie’s email, we contacted Shout with a partnership proposal – and were thrilled to receive a positive response.
Of course, Shout needed to carry out their due diligence before getting involved. But now all that’s all completed – which means you’re able to choose Shout as the charity that benefits when you donate your preloved items. Edie, thanks so much for your fantastic suggestion – we’re really happy we were able to transform your idea into a reality!
So, what else can we tell you about our new partner charity?
Thanks to your clothes donations,
we’ve raised an amazing
Donate your preloved clothes to support Shout
Shout is the brainchild of Mental Health Innovations, a digital mental health charity whose aim is to improve the mental health of the UK population. Founded in November 2017, Mental Health Innovations is supported by the Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales – and Shout was set up in 2019 with a £2m grant from the foundation. Check out this Guardian article for further details about the service and its royal supporters.
Currently, Shout has 2,100 trained volunteers and has already had 1.5 million text conversations with children, young people and adults in distress – that’s around 2,000 conversations per day. And the feedback has been incredible:
- 86% of texters say that conversation with a Shout volunteer was helpful
- 59% say that they contacted Shout as they didn’t have anyone else to talk to
- 43% say that it’s the first time they’ve asked for help
Please let us know by connecting with us on Facebook or Instagram or by emailing support@donateclothes.uk with your ideas – we love hearing from you and will always do our best to act on your suggestions.
