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Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is a suicide prevention charity on a mission to unite the UK against suicide. Removing stigma, provoking conversation, and running a life-saving helpline, they exist to bring people together so they reject living miserably, get the help they need, and don’t die by suicide. 

With 18 people taking their lives every day, their work is more important than ever.

CALM stands with anyone who is struggling with life, no matter who they are, or where they’re from – spreading a message of hope; that no matter how bad things are, life’s always worth living. 

Their helpline and webchat provide free, confidential conversations with trained staff online, or by phone, 365 days a year. These calls, and chats are lifesaving, giving people essential support when they need it most. 

Anyone can feel suicidal. So they are here for everyone. Their online guides cover a whole host of topics from depression and anxiety to relationship breakdown and addiction. Their resources and self-help tools make managing mental wellbeing simple, and provide vital information for anyone who’s struggling.And they exist not just to help in a moment of crisis, but to change how society talks about suicide – removing stigma, and starting a national conversation about how we can all help each other better. 

With the cost of living, and the fallout of lockdown, CALM’s services are more in demand than ever, and they need to be able to help as many people as possible.

For every pound donated, it will be matched pound for pound up to £25,000. 

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Campaign Against Living Miserably is an amazing charity that does lifesaving work. I’m proud to be their ambassador and use my platform to spread awareness and normalise having conversations about suicide. With 18 people taking their lives every day, their mission is more important than ever.

It’s easy to feel isolated when you’re going through stuff. I know that feeling, having struggled with anxiety myself, feeling like I had nowhere to turn to, and that I couldn’t ask for help. The thing is, there is always somewhere to turn, and no matter how bad things are, you aren’t alone. If by working with CALM I can help spread that message to just one person who needs to hear it, it would be a success.

Jade lost her Dad to suicide in September last year. The shock of losing a loved one to suicide is devastating for every family, and Jade’s was no different. In the months after his death, she developed PTSD, which has had an enormous effect on her daily life - stopping her from being able to travel on public transport. Struggling, Jade reached out to CALM’s WhatsApp service, looking for support.

She is now a dedicated campaigner, working with CALM to stop other families from going through what she has. She lobbied her local council, leading them to make investments and changes and securing local infrastructure making it safer.  

Having used CALM’s services herself, Jade is passionate about spreading CALM’s message of hope, using her story to spread awareness of the shattering impact suicide has on families. 

Kirsty’s twin brother took his own life in 2017, aged just 23. The profound loss led to her struggling with her own mental health, feeling like she was alone and had no one to turn to. So she called CALM, reaching out to their helpline for confidential, free support.

Her experience as someone who is bereaved by suicide, as well as a service user, meant that she had valuable insights that could help the team, so she worked with CALM to use her story to contribute to product testing, helping to develop their services, so that they can reach more people, more effectively.

Zach first developed anxiety in his second year of university. When lockdown happened, living in a new city, away from his friends and family, it got worse – to a point where doing daily things like taking the bins out became an impossible task. It took over his life, and when lockdown ended, he couldn’t leave the house, or see his friends. 

Zach’s phone call to CALM was a turning point in his life. He explained his situation and his struggles to a friendly voice, and it was the moment he began to ‘sort himself out’.

In the months after, he moved back to his hometown of Newcastle with his girlfriend, got involved with sports, reconnected with old friends, and has reclaimed control of his life. He has developed a group of friends that are open about their mental health and personal issues, and he now has the support network he needed.