01 Identity
Scottish charity record
- OSCR charity number
- SC046704
- Status
- Active
- Regulatory type
- Standard
- Designated religious body
- No
- Geographical spread
- More than one local authority area in Scotland
- Volunteers
- 101-250 volunteers
- Staff
- 6
- Postcode
- EH3 8HX
OSCR note: This charity has been established to replace Samaritans Of Edinburgh And The Lothians SC006778. Samaritans Of Edinburgh And The Lothians SC006778 has now wound up, and has passed its assets and liabilities to Samaritans of Edinburgh and the Lothians SCIO SC046704 which is a SCIO.
02 Purpose and work
What the charity exists to do
Samaritans of Edinburgh & the Lothians (SCIO) is an affliated branch of the central Samaritans charity whose vision is that fewer people die by suicide. All our volunteers are recruited and trained in the branch to standards set down by the national organisation. We listen to callers who ring the national free phone number, email or use online chat, to seek a safe space to talk through their concerns and provide them with emotional support. We listen to people in a non-judgemental way, empowering them to make their own decisions. We also help train prisoners to be listeners in HMP Edinburgh and Addiewell. In support our listening service, we have a charity shop in the centre of Edinburgh which provides our branch with a regular income and offer another way for people to volunteer with Samaritans within Edinburgh.
Charitable purposes
- the saving of lives
- the relief of those in need by reason of age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage
Beneficiaries
- No specific group, or for the benefit of the community
Activities
- It carries out activities or services itself
Constitutional objectives
The objects of the Charity are: 1. To enable persons in Edinburgh and the Lothians and the surrounding area as well as elsewhere who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those who may be at risk of suicide, to receive confidential emotional support at any time of the day or night in order to improve their emotional health and to reduce the incidence of suicide. 2. To promote a better understanding in society of suicide, suicidal behaviour and the value of expressing feelings which may otherwise lead to suicide or impaired emotional health. and 3 To collaborate with and support Samaritans Central Charity and its affiliated branches in fulfilling these Objects.
03 Annual returns
Income and expenditure history
| Year end | Income | Expenditure | Staff | Return received |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2025 | £322,746 | £249,599 | 6 | 17 October 2025 |
| 31 March 2024 | £249,372 | £229,409 | 6 | 16 October 2024 |
| 31 March 2023 | £532,536 | £234,821 | 6 | 21 November 2023 |
| 31 March 2022 | £208,734 | £146,377 | 6 | 24 August 2022 |
| 31 March 2021 | £124,527 | £115,826 | 6 | 5 October 2021 |
Figures are those reported by the charity and supplied in the OSCR bulk download. Blank facts remain distinct from zero.
04 Contact record
Principal office or trustees address
- Address supplied to OSCR
- 25 Torphichen Street, Edinburgh
- Website supplied to OSCR
- www.samaritans.org/branches/edinburgh
- Parent charity
- Not supplied
No direct external links on this profile. The official OSCR record and source documentation are available through BritDB’s dedicated source page.
05 Provenance
Source for this profile
© Crown Copyright and database right 2026. Contains information from the Scottish Charity Register supplied by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. BritDB is an independent service and does not claim to be the Scottish Charity Register.