Kate Middleton visits mental health talkline and thanks workers offering help to struggling adults

KATE Middleton today thanked mental health workers for helping struggling adults across the UK.

The Duchess of Cambridge visited the crisis support line Shout to mark the service reaching more than one million conversations with people in need.



Kate, 40, dressed in a £355 khaki animal print dress, met clinical supervisors, volunteers and fundraisers to thank them for their invaluable efforts to ensure that vital mental health support is available at any time of day or night.

She also heard how the service is inviting members of the public to become Shout volunteers to meet growing demand for support.

Shout is the UK's only 24/7 text messaging support service, offering free and confidential help for anyone who is struggling to cope.

It was launched by the Cambridges and backed by their Royal Foundation in 2019.

And since then, it has taken over 1,000,000 conversations with people who are anxious, stressed, depressed, suicidal or overwhelmed and who need immediate support.

The service provides round-the-clock support from clinical supervisors and more than 2,500 trained volunteers.

Use of the platform has jumped by 140 per cent since the start of the pandemic.

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Upon arrival, Kate learned how data from the conversations taking place on the Shout service can be used to provide insights on mental health in the UK.

Suicide (34 per cent), depression (32 per cent), and anxiety or stress (31 per cent) were cited as the main reasons why texters have sought support.

Kate also watched a live demonstration of the platform before joining a small group of Shout volunteers to hear about their experiences of helping those in distress.

They told her how they have personally benefitted from taking part in the service by gaining new skills and developing a sense of purpose.

The duchess heard how the service will need even more volunteers to join its ranks to ensure that it can meet growing demand.

Kate also met those carrying out fundraising efforts to help Shout to continue to deliver its crucial services.

She hailed an "inspiring" teenager who raised more than £8,000 for the service by sleeping outside in a hammock for a year.

Scout Leo Street, 13, braved temperatures as low as -5C in his garden to raise vital money for the crisis support charity.

'REALLY INSPIRING'

The duchess, who is joint president of The Scout Association, joked: "There really isn't a big enough Scout badge for that.

"What you achieved is really inspiring."

She added: "You must have had some impressive kit to keep warm."

Kate also met Cassie Waters who began raising money for Shout after using the service herself when she suffered mental health challenges last year.

Shout was the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's first major project with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, with the service launched following a £3 million investment from the Royal Foundation in May 2019.

The couples were dubbed the fab four, but Harry and Meghan split from the Foundation a month later to set up their own charitable organisation before quitting as senior working royals in 2020.







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