VIDEO: Samaritans Relaunch Campaign With Rail Company To Help Save Lives

Thursday, 23 February 2023 06:00

Network Rail has joined Samaritans, British Transport Police and the wider rail industry to remind the public that we all have the potential to be lifesavers by simply striking up a conversation.

It's part of Samaritans’ latest Small Talk Saves Lives campaign.

Network Rail Southern region, which manages the railways from London Victoria, Waterloo, Charing Cross and London Bridge, employs professional welfare officers at stations across the network. They’re trained to watch for people who may be vulnerable, and how to strike up a conversation.

But they can’t be everywhere and a campaign has been launched after new research from Samaritans revealed that only 47.31% of London adults said they would feel confident approaching and speaking to someone they don’t know if they were concerned about them in public.

The wider South East was a more confident place, with 53.14% of respondents saying they would be happy to talk to someone.

Of those who said they wouldn’t feel confident approaching someone they don’t know, the top reasons holding them back were ‘worrying the person wouldn’t welcome their approach’ (37.07% in London and 44% in the SE) and ‘wouldn’t know what to say’ , which was 18% in London and 25.9% in the South East.

So, Samaritans is relaunching Small Talk Saves Lives to empower the public to trust their instincts and start a conversation if they think someone needs help on the railways or in other public settings.

As part of the launch, a new film across digital and social media reassures the public that a little small talk like ‘where can I get a coffee?’ can be all it takes to interrupt someone’s suicidal thoughts and help set them on a path to recovery.