Natalie Stretton

Said the following about Richard Godwin:

“Wow, where do I even begin!! There is nobody in the world of suicide prevention who doesn’t know who Richard Godwin is and this nomination only merely scratches a very small surface! His name is synonymous with the workstream for all of the very best reasons. There will be hundreds if not thousands of lives changed and saved because of his hard work, dedication and down right vigour for all things suicide prevention.

Richard Godwin joined the rail industry 20 years ago in 2003 as a delay attributor, but that was merely the beginning since then he has undertaken various roles, however, it was around 2011 that he began to find his true calling for all things suicide prevention this is where our journey takes us to today.

From chairing the National Suicide Prevention Working Group to being a confidant in writing national policies, from Scotland all the way down to the Southern coast his guidance and advice echoes the length and breadth of the country. Richard is extremely generous with his time for those who are learning about the world of suicide prevention both locally, nationally, across the entire rail industry and beyond. His passion exudes from every fibre of his soul and his knowledge has benefited and influenced so many people, I like many others find myself frequently asking “What would Rich do?” In the most challenging of subjects, Richard finds a way to bring humility and morality to the subject, bringing us as an industry back down to earth, and in touch with reality.

Over the years Richard has championed new initiatives and has been creative in his approach - more recently he launched the Small Talk Saves Lives campaign on coffee cups at stations across the North West and Central Region to encourage colleagues and passengers to spark up a conversation. Installing artwork at stations and in vulnerable areas has been a particular labour of love for Richard in a bid to brighten up the most bleak of areas and to encourage moments of distraction for people who may be in crisis. Not only has he been able to bring sunshine to wet days, blooming flowers into winter and peace to chaos he’s been able to do this with the support from community partners and through local mental health partnerships.

Talking about wider collaboration, Richard has always grappled with the challenge of working together and was a vital element to our regional approach towards triage units. Working in partnership with the British Transport Police and local NHS trusts the units provide tangible and practicable mental health care to the most vulnerable people on our network. As a result, we now have 3 soon to be 4 triage vehicles operating across our region, all so vital and all so needed. His efforts don’t stop there either, every year he takes on an NHS graduate to work in a one to one environment with him, the wider team and the railway industry so that best practices can be shared and knowledge expanded. A one size approach to suicide prevention does not fit all with Richard and it’s clear to see how his tailored approach to every single location benefits our employees, our passengers and the communities we serve.

Richard also fights tirelessly to challenge the status quo of how things should be done. Progress doesn’t happen without change and throughout his career, he has continually developed his approach to the ever changing railway environment and social climate we live in. Whether that be through community notice boards, digital screen displays, inviting MPs to round table discussions, community events and outreach, working with charitable partners such as the Samaritans, Hub of Hope, SHOUT or via continuous improvement of the technology we use Richard is ready and willing to take the next step. Not only does he champion strategic changes he is also eager to take on a tactical approach to improvements so you can find him out and about come rain or sunshine, blizzard or heatwave if a job needs doing Richard’s your guy… I stopped counting after his 500th poster!!

Finally, I’ll finish by saying that the contribution received into this nomination has been overwhelming and this is a testament to him both personally and professionally. We are all so fortunate and so proud to call him our colleague, guiding voice and above all friend. Richard is a kind, well mannered superstar and I don’t think he realises the size of the contribution he makes to preserving life both on and off the railway…. but the rest of us do so thank you thank you thank you!!“

Dave Brown

Said the following about Richard Godwin:

“Richard's knowledge, passion and dedication in the field of rail suicide prevention is second to none. He is a tireless advocate for change and improvement in the service of saving lives.

His support of Samaritans and their partnership with the rail industry has been instrumental in increasing their visibility on the network, in turn saving lives when people reach out for support. Countless stations have been improved by his work. And when I say countless, that's not actually true. They are in fact incredibly countable, as his record keeping is so thorough!

I have learnt so much from working with Rich over the last 3 years, as I know so many others have too. He is truly a force for good in the industry and thoroughly deserves recognition.“