The East Lancashire branch of anti-suicide charity Calm will shut next month when its funding comes to an end.

Calm (Campaign Against Living Miserably) provides a national telephone helpline and website run by trained councillors with the aim of reducing suicide rates in men aged 15 to 35. The primary care trust NHS East Lancashire has decided not to renew its £20,000 a year grant for the charity.

In 2007 Calm East Lancashire appointed a coordinator, Jamie Scahill, to help in a region that has some of the worst suicide rates in the UK. Scahill’s role, which included promoting Calm’s services in local pubs, universities and barber shops, had already been reduced from four days a week to one, and will now have to be cut altogether.

“It’s very sad,” said Jane Powell, the charity’s founder. “Unless we have support from the local primary care trust we can’t promote our services, and a lot of young men will not receive the help they need.

“We put in a grant application for a year’s worth of funding for East Lancashire, but that was turned down. The public are helping out and donating but it’s just not enough to support our costs and paying Jamie one day a week.

“As it is more people are calling us because other services are being cut and they haven’t got anyone else to turn to.”

A spokesperson for NHS East Lancashire said: “While NHS East Lancashire recognises that the service provided by Calm is extremely valuable, the finance originally provided from the PCT which also included money from the Big Lottery Grant, was only provided as short term funding.

“Discussions have taken place with the charity’s national development coordinator and NHS East Lancashire will work with Calm to identify alternative sources of funding.

“Existing alternative providers such as the Samaritans continue to provide an excellent service for those who need it. In addition the PCT funds appropriate services in the community such as the crisis response team and community mental health services.”