BURY Samaritans is encouraging people to beat Blue Monday by getting together for a cuppa and chat.

Dubbed ‘the most difficult day of the year’, the charity is turning third Monday in January on its head and is hoping to banish the January blues by encouraging friends, family and work mates to have a chat over a brew.

Samaritan volunteers from the Bury branch are joining Roch Valley Radio at 2pm tomorrow in their community slot to talk about the work Samaritans do locally and nationally.

And they will also be out and about in Bury on what they have term 'Brew Monday' visiting coffee shops, and attempting to foster friendships between people over a chat and a brew.

Located on Knowsley Street, the Bury branch of Samaritans currently has 60 volunteers, who help to answer some of the 5 million calls for help that Samaritans responds to every year from people going through a difficult time.

The branch also provides other support within the community and works with a number of organisations

Kate Todrick, director of the Bury branch, said: “Isolation and loneliness are one of the main reasons people contact Samaritans, so getting together for a brew with friends can provide a lift on what is meant to be one of the most difficult days of the year. "