Samaritans volunteers in Stevenage and North Herts will be taking part in the 'Small Talk Saves Lives' campaign at Stevenage train station tomorrow.

According to a survey by the charity, only half of the nation feel confident approaching someone they are concerned about in public. 

To boost public confidence, Samaritans volunteers will be at Stevenage Railway Station tomorrow (March 7) to remind the public that we all have the potential to be lifesavers, simply by striking up a conversation.

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’ (44 per cent) and ‘worrying they’d make things worse’ (29 per cent), while 25 per cent said ‘not knowing what to say’ was also a concern.

Samaritans is relaunching its Small Talk Saves Lives campaign, in partnership with Network Rail, British Transport Police and the wider rail industry.

This is to empower members of the public to trust their instincts and start a conversation if they think someone needs help on the railways or in other settings.

Samaritans Volunteers will be at the train station from 7.30am to 10.30am, and 4.30pm to 6pm, alongside Govia Great Northern and Network Rail staff.

Ilsa Hawtin, branch director of North Herts and Stevenage Samaritans, said: "It’s understandable that you might feel nervous about approaching someone you don’t know, but at Samaritans we know that suicide is preventable and suicidal thoughts are often temporary.

"The confidence to trust your instincts, and to use the small talk skills we all have, could be all it takes to help interrupt those thoughts.

"We hope that message is reassuring. There’s no evidence that you will make the situation worse, and you don’t need training for this. It’s about being there for that person, listening and showing you care, which can make all the difference.

"It has been a challenging time for everyone recently, so let’s look out for one another and save lives."

Launched in 2017, Small Talk Saves Lives was developed after research showed the positive part the public could play in suicide prevention.

For more information and tips, visit Samaritans.org/smalltalksaveslives or join the conversation on social media using #SmallTalkSavesLives.