The RailStaff Awards 2024

Nominations for Samaritans Lifesaver Award

Karen Grimshaw

Said the following about Kevin Dodd:

“Both Kevin and Tony have not once, not twice, but three times intervened with someone who was going to take their lives. The below example is what they did and how they cared for this person.

Tony and Kev are my favourite dream team and last Wednesday 13th of Feb they proved why!

A lady knocked on the door of platform 1 office and asked if anyone had seen a young girl with blonde hair, and Tony said no. She said she had no phone to ring her and was very obviously distressed. Tony told her to come to the office on platform 2 so she can use the phone and to get her off platform 1 because there was a train due. When she came in the office she started to cry. Tony radioed Kev to ring the police because he felt she was vulnerable, Kev did and also contacted the signal boxes to ask them to get all the trains to go off the upside to go from platform 1. Tony sat with the lady and she opened up to him and said she had had enough and wanted to jump in front of a train. She explained some of her reasons were her 14 year old daughter had runaway and her boyfriend had been abusive. While waiting for BTP, between them they dispatched the trains and took turns looking after her and keeping her safe. Once the BTP arrived they took over, after they had finished the lady waited for Tony to say thank you and the police woman came back to thank him and tell him how well they’d both done.

In the last 6 months this is Tony’s 2nd and Kev’s 3rd suicidal person that they have intercepted! Literally crazy how much you’ve impacted someone’s life forever!! Quick thinking and being so proactive, I think you’re both amazing and so happy you did what you did!

This really says our teams are watching out for vulnerable people, these two have again made sure someone has been cared for and their families still have them around.

They really do deserve this recognition“