A listening ear, guidance and emotional support: 30 years of CALL Helpline
April 7 2025
A mental health helpline which has supported tens of thousands of people throughout Wales today marks 30 years of helping those in need
CALL Helpline was established on April 7 1995, as the volunteer-run Clwyd Advice and Listening Line – but later expanded to cover all areas of Wales, introducing a 24-hour service in 2008.
The free and confidential line offers a listening ear, guidance and emotional support for people facing mental health challenges. Callers can also be signposted to other relevant support services and request information resources to read at home.
The service has received almost 200,000 calls or other contacts in the last five years alone, including more than 29,000 in 2024. On average, highly-trained operators and volunteers spend around 20 minutes supporting each caller with their mental wellbeing day and night.
"If I can help our callers, then that is a pleasure..."
Committed volunteer Karl Bailey has been giving his time to support CALL Helpline since it began life three decades ago, and remembers its earliest days in a tiny office above a nursing home.
“If I can help our callers, then that is a pleasure,” he said. “Often, it’s about listening to their concerns and what they have to say.
“But I really enjoy it. Everyone I work with is so friendly and we get on so well – it’s more like a big family.”
Sian Jones has been involved at the helpline for 21 years, initially as a volunteer and now as an operator.
She said: “I like knowing that I have made a difference to people and to their day – and that maybe I have been able to help them with their lives.
“It is rewarding that people can call with an issue or anxieties and I am able to listen to them, support them and set them in the right direction.”
CALL Helpline is funded by the Welsh Government and hosted by the health board, alongside the Wales Drug and Alcohol Helpline DAN 24/7 and the Wales Dementia Helpline. It complements the national NHS 111 Wales Press 2 service for urgent mental health support launched across Wales in 2023.
The helpline will launch a new brand identity, materials and website – including a new suite of easy-to-use self-assessment tools and refreshed information booklets – later this month.
Our Helpline Services Manager Luke Ogden said the team was proud to have reached the landmark anniversary, and to continue to offer vital national support from their base in Wrexham.
“Callers tell us all the time how much they value the support our staff and volunteers give,” he said. “That support is always available to help anyone who needs someone to listen to their mental health concerns, or concerns they have about a loved one.”
Sign up for our latest news
🔵 Stay up to date with news from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board by signing up to our mailing list.