While Christmas brings joy to so many lives, the festive season and long January can also be incredibly difficult for many.

With the additional pressure and mental health struggles, the Samaritans campaign to make the third Monday of January “brew Monday”, a day where people are encouraged to get talking over a cuppa, is a great reminder to take the time to talk.

At Transport for Wales we are supporting campaigns including Small Talk Saves Lives and Brew Monday to get people talking.

One train manager who has experience in making interventions is Cardiff based Lydia Sheppard.

In the last year she has intervened with three customers in distress, thankfully all with good outcomes.

“On two of those occasions it was fairly obvious they were in a lot of distress but on the third it was very much that something didn’t seem right,” said Lydia.

“The lady had just put someone on the train but was stood crying on the platform edge and I just got a feeling it was more than just upset at saying goodbye.”

On another occasion a customer had gone onto the line at the end of the platform and Lydia had to speak to her until help arrived.

“The biggest thing is to keep calm and reassure them that they aren’t in trouble even if they hear sirens,” she added.

“We complete an initial course when we join the company in suicide awareness giving us a good basis to build from. We can then learn further from our minders and colleagues’ experiences. I do feel it’s very important though to trust your gut feeling and if something doesn’t seem right react and report.

“But while dealing with an incident on the railway can be incredibly stressful in the moment, it’s the aftereffects that can really take their toll.

“I strongly recommend anyone who gets caught up in that sort of situation makes sure they talk about it, even if just peer to peer.

“All year round but especially at this time of year it really is important that we take a moment to talk and look out for each other.”

Bethan Hodges from the Samaritans in Wales said: “It can be a really difficult thing to do and to hear the reasons why a person is at crisis point. We are available 24/7 to listen and talk through how they are feeling.

“One thing I’ve noticed from conversations is that people may have made an intervention a while ago and feel that the moment has passed to access support, so I always make a point of saying that the offer of support has no time limit, it is always there for them day or night.

“Samaritans would like to thank staff at Transport for Wales for being there and listening to people in the most difficult moments. You have saved lives and we are so proud of you.”