The Samaritans is attempting to encourage a broader range of people to use its services as part of a new-look brand to be rolled out in September.

The new logo will feature handwriting-style lettering in an effort to communicate the personal and confidential nature of Samaritans’ work. It is the first brand re-fresh for the charity in a decade.

Chantel Scherer-Reid, Samaritans’ head of communications, said that the charity hopes the re-brand will attract more callers. “We want to put across that we aren’t only a suicide charity,” she told civilsociety.co.uk.

“The purpose was not really for fundraising,” she said. “That’s a happy by-product.”

The fundraising director said that in broadening awareness and appeal to new callers, it is hoped that the charity will also gain more support from corporates and other donors.

Samaritans worked with the agency Arthur initially in evaluating and researching the present brand. It found, said Scherer-Reid, that “not everybody knew when to call us”.

Scherer-Reid would not specify a figure for the rebrand but said it was "very small", adding that as a charity with a turnover of around £11m, it had been highly conscious of keeping costs low.

The new brand will be launched on 20 September as part of the charity’s partnership with Network Rail and their campaign ‘We’re in your corner’. It will be communicated to the charity’s many volunteers at a conference shortly thereafter. 

Samaritans re-brand news follows last week's announcement of a major re-brand by Cancer Research UK in a bid to broaden its own supporter base.  Multiple other charities have rebranded this year, including Scope, BTCV and, now, Blind Veterans UK. 

Samaritans new brand as depicted in its Impact Report

Samaritans present brand, in a recent campaign