PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide

What PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide does

PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide is a UK-registered charity founded in 1997 by parents bereaved by young suicide, headquartered in Warrington with a London regional office opened in 2019. It is the only national charity dedicated specifically to preventing suicide among young people (under 35) in the UK and operates a multi-modal service portfolio centered on HopeLine 24/7 — a free, confidential helpline accessible by telephone (0300 102 2470), SMS (text HOPE to 88247), email, and BSL for the Deaf community, staffed by trained professionals with specialism in suicide intervention rather than general mental health support. The service reportedly receives a contact every three minutes, with year-on-year contacts rising 27.5%.

Its training arm delivers a tiered curriculum — Spark (30–45 minute awareness session, free), SPOT (introductory skills), SPEAK (3.5-hour practical workshop), and ASIST (two-day intervention course, the most widely used suicide intervention programme globally) — available online and in-person to schools, universities, employers, healthcare professionals, and community groups. Augmented resources include HopeBox (a self-care toolkit) and a portfolio of awareness campaigns (To My Fellow, Myths, Sinking Feeling, Spot the Signs, Bedtime Stories).

The organisation is funded through a diversified charity model: individual donations, legacies and bequests, corporate partnerships (Meta, Rabobank, Emperor, NTT Data, JD Foundation, Utility Warehouse), philanthropic giving, training service fees, merchandise sales, and grants (notably BBC Children in Need, cumulative £429,000+, including £112,311 over three years for HOPELINE247). Notable grassroots campaigns include the 3 Dads Walking initiative, which raised over £1 million. PAPYRUS is governed by a board of trustees, many with lived bereavement experience, and exerts outsized influence on UK suicide prevention policy — including the High Court ruling on the civil standard of proof in suicide inquests, IPSO media reporting guidance, and Instagram's policy on graphic self-harm imagery.

Name

PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide

Legal name

Papyrus Prevention of Young Suicide

Website

https://papyrus-uk.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

UK charity founded in 1997, dedicated to preventing suicide among young people (under 35) through the HopeLine 24/7 helpline, accredited training programmes, and policy advocacy, serving young people, families, schools, employers, and healthcare professionals across the United Kingdom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Suicide Prevention Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Crisis Intervention & Suicide Prevention Services (EDALAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH), Crisis Response & Threat Assessment (Suicide Prevention, Violence Prevention) (EDAJAIAH), Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Family Aftercare) (HSABAFAI)

Keywords

• Suicide prevention charity
• Youth mental health support
• Crisis helpline services
• Suicide prevention training
• Mental health awareness

Headquarters

HQ city

Warrington

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Giving: Individual donations from supporters, including one-time and recurring gifts. The charity receives no government support for HopeLine 24/7 and relies entirely on charitable donations.
2. Training Services: Fees charged for suicide prevention training courses including SPOT, SPEAK, ASIST, and Spark programmes. Both individual course bookings and organization/group bookings are available.
3. Shop Sales: Sale of Papyrus merchandise including clothing, accessories, and promotional items. Every purchase helps prevent young suicide.
4. Grant Funding: Grants from foundations and organizations including BBC Children in Need (£112,311 over three years for HOPELINE247). Total received from BBC Children in Need exceeds £429,000.
5. Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with businesses for fundraising, sponsorship, payroll giving, employee volunteering, and Charity of the Year programmes.
6. Legacies and Bequests: Gifts in Wills - supporters can leave a legacy to Papyrus to help create a future where more young lives are lived.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide is a UK-registered charity that delivers the free, confidential HopeLine 24/7 crisis helpline (via phone, text, email and webchat) for young people under 35 experiencing suicidal thoughts, alongside a portfolio of accredited suicide prevention training programmes (SPOT, SPEAK, ASIST and Spark) for schools, workplaces and community groups. The charity also produces supporting resources such as the HopeBox toolkit and runs awareness, fundraising and community engagement campaigns, including an online charity shop.

Product overview

PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide is a UK-based charity offering a portfolio of suicide prevention services centered on HopeLine 24/7 (a confidential helpline available 24/7 via phone, text, and email) and a structured training program (Spark, Spot, Speak, and ASIST) that equips individuals and organizations with suicide prevention skills. Additional offerings include awareness campaigns, downloadable support resources, corporate partnerships, philanthropy programs, and merchandise through their shop. The organization functions as a service charity rather than a technology platform, with no modular software architecture—the services are distinct programs unified by the mission to prevent young suicide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HopeLine 24/7: PAPYRUS's free, confidential helpline available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for young people experiencing thoughts of suicide and anyone worried about a young person.
• SPOT
• SPEAK
• ASIST
• Spark
• HopeBox

Products and services

• HopeLine 24/7

Quantifiable outcome

• Contact with HopeLine 24/7 increased by 27.5%
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Barnsley CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 January 2024Barnsley Council commissioned Papyrus to deliver suicide prevention training to over 1,000 staff and residents over three years as part of the Barnsley Suicide Prevention Project. Training is free for those living and working in Barnsley.
• The Student RoomcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 March 2019Partnership on University Mental Health Day to raise awareness of suicide and mental health among UK university students. 95 graduation gowns represented each student lost to suicide in one year.
• Thrive LDNcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2019Partnership with Thrive LDN, the citywide mental health movement led by Mayor Sadiq Khan, to deliver suicide prevention awareness training across London's schools, colleges, and universities. Training commenced in 2019 and is available in all London boroughs.
• Instagram/FacebookcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 February 2019Instagram approached Papyrus following the Molly Russell case to be part of a consultation on display of graphic self-harm and suicide images. Papyrus provided expert advice leading to Instagram's announcement to remove graphic images of self-harm and suicide.
• Radio City TalkcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 February 2019Radio City Talk partnership for 4-hour live show from Liverpool's St George's Hall marking Children's Mental Health Week. Featured 226 pairs of school shoes representing children lost to suicide in 2017.
• UK GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 January 2019UK Government committed to cross-department suicide prevention plan with focus on technology, social media, and local implementation. Papyrus welcomed the Minister's plan.
• Universities UKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 September 2018Universities UK and Papyrus co-published guidance to help university leaders prevent student suicides. At least 95 university students took their own lives in the last academic year studied.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Samaritans: UK charity providing 24/7 emotional support helpline for anyone in distress, including those at risk of suicide. Closest comparable service model with general population focus, though without PAPYRUS's youth specialisation.
• YoungMinds: UK charity focused on children and young people's mental health, providing advice, training and a Parent Helpline. Highly comparable mission and youth-only targeting, with overlapping school-based training programmes.
• Childline (NSPCC): NSPCC-operated free, confidential helpline for children and young people up to 19, accessible by phone and online. Direct peer in crisis support delivery to minors, including suicide-related concerns.
• Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM): UK charity preventing male suicide through a helpline and webchat, particularly focused on men. Comparable model with crisis line + awareness + training, similar donor-supported funding structure.
• Shout: UK-based 24/7 text messaging crisis support service, partnering with Mental Health Innovations. Comparable text-and-digital crisis support mechanism overlapping with HOPELINE247's text channel.
• The Mix: UK charity providing free, confidential support for under-25s via helpline, webchat, and peer communities. Directly comparable youth-only multi-channel crisis and wellbeing support model.
• SANE: UK mental health charity operating SANEline, a national out-of-hours telephone helpline offering emotional support and information. Comparable direct crisis support to adults affected by mental illness including suicidal crisis.

Broad incumbents

• Mind: UK's largest mental health charity providing information, support and local services across all conditions. Overlapping mental health remit but broader scope and substantially larger scale than PAPYRUS's youth suicide focus.
• Crisis Text Line: US-based 24/7 text-based crisis support service, founded 2013 and now serving UK and other markets. Comparable text-first crisis intervention model with broader volunteer-staffed operations.

Emerging players

• Andy Cope / Hope Construction Skills: UK-wide mental health services directory connecting users to local and national support, including suicide-specific services. Partial overlap as a referral/distribution channel rather than direct service provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/papyrus_tweets
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/PAPYRUSCharity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/papyrus-prevention-of-young-suicide
• Facebookfacebook.com/PAPYRUSUK

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide