Kate visits mental health talkline to mark one million text conversations

To mark one million text conversations the Duchess of Cambridge has paid a visit to the London based mental health text service Shout.

The service 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.

During her visit, Kate was shown how the service works and joined a small group of volunteers to hear about their experiences helping the distressed.

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

It is free to start a conversation by texting SHOUT to 85258 and the round-the-clock support comes from clinical supervisors and some 2,500 trained volunteers.

Use of the platform has jumped by 140% since the start of the pandemic, and Kate was told of the need for more volunteers to meet the growing demand.

Since it launched just over two years ago it has had one million conversations, with 386,000 people across the UK. Four in 10 texters are seeking help for the first time.

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• Duchess of Cambridge
• Kate Middleton
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