Local councillor's campaign receives positive response

It's looking increasingly likely that phones, which could help cut down on the number of suicides at Ealing Broadway Station, will be installed.

Last year there were four fatalities at the station. Nationally, suicides on the railway account for approximately 6% of all recorded suicides, however, in Ealing, they account for 20%.

Councillor Alex Stafford, who represents the Ealing Broadway ward, has started a campaign to reduce the numbers and has written to the Samaritans, Great Western Railway, and Network Rail, asking them to work together to help save lives.

He says he has had a huge amount of support and received a positive response from the Managing Director of station operator, GWR.

Mark Hopwood writes of their intention to try and make the station safer. He says:

'' Ealing Broadway station is currently undergoing major rebuilding work associated with CrossRail and as such we are mindful that on completion of the building work there will be new customer areas in which a Samaritans phone could be installed. We will work with the developers and CrossRail to find a suitable location to install a Samaritans phone on completion of the building works.... Work is currently taking place at the station to extend the safety fence on the up main platform. This will give us more resilience and control access on to this platform.''

The free-to-use phones, which connect directly to support organisations, are currently used in parts of America, and since their introduction it's reported the suicide rate on Sunshine Bridge in Florida has reduce by a quarter.

Mental health problems affect 1 in 4 people. In an attempt to try and break the stigma attached to mental health today has been declared Time to Talk.

February 4th 2016