A 24/7 respite centre offering rest and reflection to suicidal people has been given £4,500 to help continue its good work.

The Maytree in Moray Road, Finsbury Park, was awarded the money by the Masonic Charitable Foundation.

The centre supports up to four “guests” at a time. Volunteers and staff spend days with each guest, giving them the opportunity to talk through their fears, thoughts and troubles. When they leave, the guests are handed a goodbye letter. In it is a personal record written by staff which reflects their stay, validates their struggles and honours their achievements.

Maytree’s fundraising boss George Nelson said: “Philanthropy is almost taken for granted these days and some are even cynical about the principle. I speak for all at Maytree when I say we will always be grateful for these gestures of support, for without them we simply wouldn’t be able to achieve our primary objective: preventing suicide.”