A woman from New Addington who works on the railways has spoken about how her prompt actions have helped to save lives.
Keeping check: Kelly Holyoake says she has been trained to look for the signs of a passenger in distress
Kelly Holyoake, 57, has worked as part of Southern’s ticket office team for three years.
Ahead of tomorrow’s World Suicide Prevention Day, Holyoake has explained how just the simple act of taking care to look out for someone else can be life-saving.
“Earlier this year, I was working in the ticket office when I spotted on our CCTV system a young woman sitting on the floor just behind the yellow line,” Holyoake said.
“My gut instinct was telling me something wasn’t right, so I approached her carefully and asked if she was okay, but she smiled and said she was fine.
“I still felt uneasy about the situation and didn’t want to leave her, so I asked if she would like to sit on the benches. That’s when she looked at me and started crying.
“I offered to take her to the waiting room to help calm her down, which was when she told me she didn’t want to live anymore because she had some problems in her personal life.
“As railway staff we’re trained to help vulnerable passengers, so I tried to reassure her by saying ‘You’re not alone, we’re going to help you’. I also offered to make her a cup of tea, so while I was briefly out of the room I kept an eye on her through the CCTV and called my colleagues for assistance. When I came back, I sat there chatting to her for 20 minutes before the British Transport Police arrived and took over.”
Holyoake, who has worked in the rail industry for nine years, said she highly recommends the suicide prevention course, provided by Southern and the Samaritans, as it helped her stay calm in a difficult situation for all concerned.
“The course was brilliant because I subconsciously put this knowledge into action to save this woman’s life, so I’m relieved I was in the right place at the right time.
“It really resonated with me and gave me a good understanding of how to be an active listener and provide reassurance to people who are having suicidal thoughts.
“My team are always looking out for passengers, and I encourage the public to approach station staff if they’re concerned about someone’s welfare.”
If members of the public are ever concerned about someone at a station or on a train, try to approach a member of staff for help, or text the BTP on 6106.
For emergency situations, always call 999.
For Croydon and Sutton Samaritans, click here.
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What a lovely story. Thank you Kelly, Southern, the transport police and the Samaritans for doing this.
I also work on the railway, and although I have never (thankfully) been in Kelly’s position, I know many colleagues who have done similar things.
It’s a shame that people consider taking their own lives, and thank heavens for Kelly, and numerous others like her, who watch out, who cares and who act.
Kelly’s actions were extraordinary, and luckily many ordinary people do extraordinary things each day to really help others when they need it.