Could you be a Samaritans Christmas Star
05/03/22 • 13 min
Christmas is a time for many to celebrate with family and friends. But for others it can be a time of isolation and despair. It's a time when Samaritans can be called on to shed some light in a dark place, or we can make an intervention with someone for whom small talk could save their life. When you could be that Christmas Star.
In this episode we hear from two people: one who works for Samaritans to help the rail industry, and one from the rail industry who works to help Samaritans.
00:04 Christmas is a busy time for Samaritans as many suffer despair and loneliness.
01:16 What does a Samaritans Regional Development Lead do?
02:13 Join in the 'Samaritans Christmas Star' campaign, or nominate your own star.
03:20 How a train guard chose to support the 'Samarathon' fund raiser.
07:35 Bessie tells why she chose to support Samaritans, and what she did to raise funds.
10:30 Samaritans work at Christmas, how many people call, and why.
12:03 Contact information for Samaritans and its Christmas Star campaign.
- Samaritans phone number: 116 123
- Samaritans email contact: [email protected]
- Samaritans Christmas Star campaign page: https://www.samaritans.org/support-us/fundraising-appeals/search-christmas/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1PWHqcDg9AIVibh3Ch36vgm8EAAYASAAEgJWDfD_BwE
- Samaritans Small Talk Saves Lives campaign webpage: https://www.samaritans.org/support-us/campaign/small-talk-saves-lives/
- If you'd like to get involved with the campaign or take the Managing Suicidal Contacts training, email [email protected]
- Could you help save a life? RSSB podcast, episode 8: https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/rssb-podcasts/rssb-podcast-library
- Could you help save another life? RSSB at the Front Line, episode 6: https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/rssb-podcasts/rssb-at-the-front-line
- RSSB Suicide Prevention web pages: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/improving-safety-health-and-wellbeing/suicide-prevention
- Rail Suicide Prevention website: https://railsuicideprevention.co.uk/
- RSSB Mental Wellbeing webpages: https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/key-industry-topics/health-and-wellbeing/mental-wellbeing
- Leading Health and Safety on Britain's Railway Public Behaviour section: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/public-behaviour
Christmas is a time for many to celebrate with family and friends. But for others it can be a time of isolation and despair. It's a time when Samaritans can be called on to shed some light in a dark place, or we can make an intervention with someone for whom small talk could save their life. When you could be that Christmas Star.
In this episode we hear from two people: one who works for Samaritans to help the rail industry, and one from the rail industry who works to help Samaritans.
00:04 Christmas is a busy time for Samaritans as many suffer despair and loneliness.
01:16 What does a Samaritans Regional Development Lead do?
02:13 Join in the 'Samaritans Christmas Star' campaign, or nominate your own star.
03:20 How a train guard chose to support the 'Samarathon' fund raiser.
07:35 Bessie tells why she chose to support Samaritans, and what she did to raise funds.
10:30 Samaritans work at Christmas, how many people call, and why.
12:03 Contact information for Samaritans and its Christmas Star campaign.
- Samaritans phone number: 116 123
- Samaritans email contact: [email protected]
- Samaritans Christmas Star campaign page: https://www.samaritans.org/support-us/fundraising-appeals/search-christmas/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1PWHqcDg9AIVibh3Ch36vgm8EAAYASAAEgJWDfD_BwE
- Samaritans Small Talk Saves Lives campaign webpage: https://www.samaritans.org/support-us/campaign/small-talk-saves-lives/
- If you'd like to get involved with the campaign or take the Managing Suicidal Contacts training, email [email protected]
- Could you help save a life? RSSB podcast, episode 8: https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/rssb-podcasts/rssb-podcast-library
- Could you help save another life? RSSB at the Front Line, episode 6: https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/rssb-podcasts/rssb-at-the-front-line
- RSSB Suicide Prevention web pages: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/improving-safety-health-and-wellbeing/suicide-prevention
- Rail Suicide Prevention website: https://railsuicideprevention.co.uk/
- RSSB Mental Wellbeing webpages: https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/key-industry-topics/health-and-wellbeing/mental-wellbeing
- Leading Health and Safety on Britain's Railway Public Behaviour section: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/public-behaviour
Previous Episode
On Track—Staying Safe
This episode was originally published to the RSSB at the Front Line stream in June 2021. It features Nick Millington, Director of the Safety Task Force at Network Rail. He talks about recent accidents on the mainline railway, and what the task force is doing to reduce open line working. We talk about the removal of lookouts, night shift working and fatigue, what more possessions will mean for signaller workload, and the aspiration for more effective work planning.
01:02 About Nick and his role in the railway.
02:27 Numbers of near misses, track worker fatalities, and open line working.
04:30 Equipment and technologies to replace lookouts.
08:07 Removing the lookout competence, new roles, and better protection.
10:20 Signaller workload, better planning, and collaboration for safe systems of work.
13:00 Increased night shifts, wellbeing and fatigue; and more efficient work planning.
16:38 Future plans, integrated signal-controlled protection and warning systems, and the search for innovations.
Resources related to this episode:
Nick Millington's video report on LinkedIn of his May 2021 visit to North West and Central regions to talk health and safety with those on the front line
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nick-millington-817335a8_networkrail-safetytaskforce-trackworkersafety-ugcPost-6804666611174273024-FQwS
Network Rail Front Line Focus episode 96
https://network-rail.wistia.com/medias/tsakiypg9t
Infrastructure Safety Leadership Group
https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/groups-and-committees/safety/ssrg/islg
Leading Health and Safety on Britain's Railway—Workforce Safety web page
https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/workforce-safety
Next Episode
Could you help save another life?
Small talk does save lives, as Dom Mottram found out when it saved his life. Now a project manager at Network Rail, he talks about how someone helped him with small talk, and how he now pays that back.
00:04 Introduction
01:27 A bit about Dom
02:00 Samaritans work with the rail industry in the last year
04:05 The 2021 Small Talk Saves Lives campaign—how the rail industry benefits and supports it
05:35 Dom describes how small talk saved his life, and why he supports the Managing Suicidal Contacts training
07:35 The importance of starting a small talk conversation, and five tips for managing it
09:33 How everybody in the railway environment can spot something out of the ordinary and start small talk, wherever you work
10:37 Dom describes a chance intervention, triggered by his curiosity as he keeps an eye out for things that are out of the ordinary, whether on duty or not
11:50 Samaritans contact information
Samaritans contact details:
Samaritans phone number: 116 123
Samaritans email contact: [email protected]
Samaritans Small Talk Saves Lives campaign webpage: https://www.samaritans.org/support-us/campaign/small-talk-saves-lives/
If you'd like to get involved with the campaign or take the Managing Suicidal Contacts training, email [email protected]
These might also be of interest:
Could you help save a life? RSSB podcast, episode 8: https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/rssb-podcasts/rssb-podcast-library
RSSB Suicide Prevention web pages: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/improving-safety-health-and-wellbeing/suicide-prevention
Rail Suicide Prevention website: https://railsuicideprevention.co.uk/
RSSB Mental Wellbeing webpages: https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/key-industry-topics/health-and-wellbeing/mental-wellbeing
Leading Health and Safety on Britain's Railway Public Behaviour section: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/public-behaviour
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