Samaritans have set Oxford Mail readers a challenge to come up with a way to make the emotional support charity more accessible.

The Oxford branch, based in Magdalen Road, receives about 36,500 phone calls and 100,000 e-mails a year.

But Samaritans spokesman Mike Broun said the charity needed a fresh campaign to update its image to help it reach a wider audience.

He is calling on the public to suggest ways to encourage more people to get in touch in times of despair.

Susan Williams, of Oxford Samaritans, said: "We know that one in four young people will suffer from depression and that sharing problems can help people find a way forward, but there are many barriers to asking for help - from knowing whom to ask, to feeling that it's okay to admit that things aren't going as well as they could."

Research has shown that finding out about the e-mail service made young people more likely to contact the Samaritans.

Mrs Williams said: "We hope that if people know that we're here on e-mail 24 hours a day, more will be encouraged to make contact with us when they need support."

If you can suggest a good way to promote Samaritans, or need to talk, e-mail jo@samaritans.org or call 08457 909090.