Samaritans volunteers greet south Warwickshire rail passengers with free tea bags and friendly chats on Brew Monday

The third Monday in January is known as 'Blue Monday', the day that has been dubbed the most depressing day of the year.

But the Stratford Samaritans, a suicide prevention charity, was keen to dispel the idea that the third Monday of January is particularly difficult, as it said its listening volunteers are consistently busy every day of the year, responding to a call for help every 10 seconds.

Instead, the charity wanted to turn it into something meaningful by running ‘Brew Monday’, which encourages friends and family to stay connected by having a cuppa and a catch-up.

To help raise awareness of Brew Monday, Stratford Samaritans joined forces with four railway stations in the area – Stratford, Warwick, Warwick Parkway and Leamington – during the morning and evening rush hours, to hand out tea bags and chat to passengers.