Small talk: How it helped save a women's life in Huddersfield
In early 2020, Sheila was heading out for her weekly food shop, when she saw someone who needed help.
Last updated 6th Aug 2021
A Huddersfield women made a life- saving intervention back in 2020, after taking part in training with the Samaritans.
The charity has relaunched their Small Talk Saves Lives campaign, after 43% of people in Yorkshire rated their small talk as ‘good'.
The campaign aims to give the wider public the confidence to trust their instincts and act if they see someone who needs help.
How small talk saved a life:
In 2020, Sheila Anderson from Huddersfield, who'd taken part in the Samaritans’ ‘managing suicidal contacts’, was heading out for her weekly food shop, when she saw someone who needed help. She decided to trust her instincts, started a conversation and managed to get them the help they needed.
She said:
“Around the beginning of last year, I was on the way to my weekly shop when I came across a young woman in floods of tears. I had taken part in Samaritans’ Managing Suicidal Contacts training over four years ago, but something inside me told me something was wrong, so I stopped the car and slowly approached her. I asked, “has something happened to bring you here today?” and I could tell that instantly broke her thoughts. She told me her name and said she was struggling to cope as she wasn’t able to get the support she needed.
“I then encouraged her to move to somewhere quieter to get her to a safer place and she asked me to call the hospital she was at. Another woman stopped and kindly offered to help. She hugged the young lady and made small talk, whilst I arranged for an ambulance.
“I’d encourage everyone, if they see someone who needs help, just say anything – anything that’s going to break that cycle of thought. Even though I was lucky enough to have Samaritans’ training in the rail industry, I think I’m quite an observant and caring person and since that experience I’m even more hyper-sensitive and would do the same again in a heartbeat.”
The campaign is set to be a strong reminder that everyone has the skills to start a conversation with someone who needs help.
By trusting our instincts, if something doesn’t feel right, a little small talk and a simple question, such as “Hello, what’s the time?” can be all it takes to interrupt someone’s suicidal thoughts and help start them on the journey to recovery. It could save a life.
Find out more about Small Talk Saves Lives at: www.samaritans.org/smalltalksaveslives or join the conversation on social media using #SmallTalkSavesLives.