Winston’s Wish Mental Health Messenger
If you are a bereaved young person, needing out of hours mental health support, the Winston’s Wish Messenger text service offers free, 24/7 support.
Free, 24/7, mental health text support
Do you need mental health support? We know that finding the right support is important, especially if you need someone to talk to someone out of normal working hours. The Winston’s Wish Messenger text service provides free, 24/7 anonymous mental health support across the UK. If you need support, you can text WW to 85258. Save this number for when you might need it.
This service is powered by our trusted partners, Shout and Crisis Text Line.
For urgent support in a crisis, please call 999.
How does it work?
If you need out of hours mental health support, text WW to 85258.
A trained volunteer will introduce themselves, reflect on what you’ve said, and invite you to share how you are feeling. You’ll text each other, only sharing what you feel comfortable with. By asking questions, listening to you and responding with support, they will help you sort through your feelings until you both feel you are now in a calm, safe place. They might also signpost you to other services that can provide you with further help, so that you can continue to get support.
Text WW to 85258
Crisis Messenger can help with mental health issues such as:
Suicidal thoughts
Abuse or assault
Self-harm
Bullying
Relationship issues
You can text us free and anonymously – although if the volunteer believes you are at immediate risk of harm, they may share your details with people who can provide support.
If your life is at imminent risk, please call 999.
It is free and confidential to text our service from the following major networks:
EE, O2, Three and Vodafone
These include – BT Mobile, Tesco Mobile, Virgin Mobile, iD Mobile, Sky, Telecom Plus, Lebara and GiffGaff.
Some Android phones issue a warning that you will be charged for texting us, provided you are on one of these networks this warning is incorrect and you will not be charged. If you text us from a network that is not on this list there is a possibility that you may be charged for the messages and that they may appear on your bill, this is because some networks do not provide the capability to message short codes.