VOLUNTEERS from Winchester Samaritans have been at Winchester Railway Station as part of a new campaign.
The campaign, called “Small Talks Saves Lives”, is to encourage members of the public to reach out to those they believe may be in crisis.
The volunteers, who were at the station on Wednesday, March 13, spoke with passersby and gave advice and information about the services the charity offers.
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Wayne Fletcher, the Winchester branch director for Samaritans, told the Chronicle: “One of our messages is that everyone has a role to play in reducing suicides.
“We want to encourage everyone to have a role to play. Part of our message is that we might see someone struggling and we might not have a sense of what to say, and our message is just talking with someone or asking them where you can get a coffee and making small talk might help save a life.
“That might be enough to stop someone from hurting themselves.”
Wayne continued: “We have had a few conversations with people who are struggling and want to talk, as well as a number of who wanted to show gratitude for things we have done in the past.
“We are aware that there are people who are not aware of us or the services we provide, so this campaign has been a great opportunity to increase our visibility and meet people. We have been able to reach out to members of the community, which is great.”
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The campaign is being run in partnership with South Western Railway, as well as Network Rail and British Transport Police.
Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive, said: “The Small Talk Saves Lives campaign has shown us how we each have the skills to genuinely help someone in distress. I am ever so proud of our relationship with Samaritans and British Transport Police and hope this next stage of the campaign continues to help educate and inform people that small talk can be lifesaving.”
More information on the campaign can be found on the Samaritans website. Samaritans can also be reached by calling 116 123.
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