August 3, 2026
We are pleased to launch our Annual Report 2025-26: a significant year for London Nightline as we celebrated 55 years of students supporting students across the capital.
Among the report's most striking findings is that almost 1 in 4 students who told us why they contacted Nightline said they had no one else they could talk to.
At a time when students are facing increasing pressures around mental health, loneliness, relationships and academic stress, this statistic highlights the continued importance of a confidential, non-judgemental listening service available throughout the night.
The report highlights another year of impact made possible by the dedication of our volunteers, supporters, partners and funders. This year, 140 student volunteers contributed an extraordinary 15,997 hours of their time. Together, they covered 204 overnight listening shifts across the academic year, ensuring students across London always had someone there to listen when many other services were closed.
Mental health remained the most common theme raised with Nightline, alongside conversations about relationships of all types.
One anonymous student fed back to us that the call was “helpful for clearing my head and feeling more in control of my emotions going forward into the upcoming week. I talked about some tricky stuff and the volunteer reassured me to speak openly and listened until I had made a plan and felt like I'd tied everything up neatly in my brain.”
Our volunteers also supported 173 conversations involving suicide or self-harm, underlining the vital role that accessible, overnight support plays in helping students through some of their most difficult moments.
Alongside delivering support directly to students, we achieved several major milestones during the year. In January 2026, we were awarded the nationally recognised Helplines Standard accreditation, recognising excellence in governance, safeguarding, volunteer support and service quality. We also launched a new online signposting hub, helping students access trusted support and specialist services 24 hours a day, which attracted more than 1,100 visits this year.
We also expanded our work across the higher education sectorthrough the Stay Project, developing and delivering Support Well, Stay Well, a new training programme designed to help university and accommodation staff support students while safeguarding their own wellbeing.
This report reflects on 55 years of listening while setting out our ambitions to expand support, strengthen partnerships and ensure that no student in London has to face the night alone.
