Laura Campbell

Said the following about Paul Boylin:

“Paul Boylin works for Southern Rail and thanks to his quick-thinking recently, he helped to save someone’s life.

“A couple of months ago, I was on shift and my colleague alerted me to a woman who was clearly in distress in one of the toilets. After the realisation that she was attempting to cause herself serious harm, I made the decision to approach and intervene.

“She was very agitated and wanted to be left alone, so I made sure I spoke to her softly and calmly and asked if she was okay. I noticed that she was wearing a heavy metal T-shirt and started a conversation about music to help break her out of that negative mental state by chatting about a common interest. After 20 minutes of talking she started to calm down.

“At this point, a colleague of mine had arrived with a first aid kit. While I was helping her, she apologised that I had to see this and explained that sometimes she has some down days. I tried to reassure her by saying ‘you’re a young woman and have so much to live for’ and kept chatting to her before the paramedics arrived and took over.”

Paul, who works as a platform team leader, said suicide prevention training at work has helped increase his confidence when it comes to making lifesaving interventions.

“I’ve worked in the rail industry for 20 years and the training provided by Southern and the Samaritans was some of the best I’ve received. It teaches you the signs to watch out for if someone is feeling suicidal and how to safely intervene. My team are always looking out for passengers, and I encourage the public to approach station staff if they are concerned about someone’s welfare. It’s important that we look out for each other. A simple question or conversation could be enough to save someone’s life.”“