Amey Infrastructure Wales Limited and the Samaritans launched the partnership, which will also help rail workers facing crisis situations, at Merthyr Tydfil Station on Monday 13^th May at 1pm.

Amey Infrastructure Wales Limited (AIW) operates the infrastructure on the Core Valleys Network.

The new partnership means:

• Staff from AIW will get support in their suicide prevention activities across Cardiff and the Vale, Gwent, and Cwm Taff Morgannwg.
• Samaritans volunteers from across the region will offer specialist support to rail workers in crisis.
• In addition, 12 Samaritans volunteers from across the South Wales Valleys will receive extra training, allowing them to extend their usual in-branch duties by providing specialised emotional support, including person-to-person dialogue and attendance at community activities.
• Members of the community might reach avenues of support they may previously have been unaware of.

Samaritans will also distribute bilingual materials from their award-winning campaigns.

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For example, their campaign ‘Small Talk Saves Lives’ comes with a toolkit giving members of the public the confidence and skills to engage people who may appear distressed or in need of support.

Or there is ‘Real People Real Stories’, a campaign which encourages middle-aged men to recognise their problems in the stories of many other men who have been through similar tough times.

By doing this, they may be more likely to seek help.

In the first year of the programme, up to 80 rail staff can enrol in a Samaritans training course designed to provide them with the skills to engage with and help vulnerable people.

Rail staff can also receive training on how to recover, or help others recover, from a traumatic incident.

Samaritans is a charity. The public’s kind donations and around 23,000 volunteers mean they are always there for anyone struggling to cope.

Every 10 seconds, Samaritans volunteers respond to a call for help.

The safety and wellbeing of our people, those travelling on the network and the communities in which we operate is always our main priority.

James Holmes, Amey’s Rail Director