“I baked a pie. It’s far too big for just me.”
There’s someone on the other end of the line.
You pick up, and a real person answers. About five minutes, just for you.
It’s free, and it’s coming soon.
For whatever is on your mind.
The kind of thing you’d love to tell someone.
“It’s snowing here. I just wanted to tell someone.”
“My granddaughter passed her driving test!”
His name was Jacques.
When the phone rang, my grandfather never said “hello”. He picked up and said: “Yes, I’m listening.” And he listened.
Today, those of our listeners who prefer to stay private answer under his first name, or as Gabbie. If a Jacques answers, it may well be a Camille. But it is always a real person.
Trained volunteers, with paid supervisors beside them. These five minutes matter to them too.
Five minutes goes quickly.
It’s short on purpose: you get to what matters. Here’s how it should feel.
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You pick up.
No menu, nothing to dial. A voice tells you someone’s coming.
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“Yes, I’m listening.”
A real person, never a machine. A volunteer, trained for this.
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You talk.
About anything, about nothing, about your day. Someone listens, without judging and without lecturing.
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You start to wind up.
Gently. Nothing cuts off at five minutes: the person listening winds up with you.
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You hang up.
Maybe feeling a little lighter. That’s all we hope for.
What’s said here stays here.
No recording. No transcript. No artificial intelligence.
One thing to know: to look after everyone, a supervisor may listen live to a small number of calls. You’re told before the call.
Listen with us.
A few hours a month, for someone who was hoping for just that. Applications open soon.
Host a phone.
A café, a station, a library, a lobby. A quiet corner is enough.
A few details.
- It’s not therapy or advice. Just someone listening.
- No religion, no party, nothing to sell.
- It’s voice only. We’re working with Deaf people on a written way in.
- This is not an emergency service. In an emergency: 112
The first phone isn’t installed yet. We’re preparing a first trial. We think a short conversation can do some good. The pilot is there to find out.