At the start of this month, Rhossili Community Council was pleased to host a one-day training programme on ‘Making a Suicide Intervention’ at the Village Hall. The training was delivered by the Samaritans and funded by the Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention NHS Wales Executive. Attendees included representatives from the local church and chapel, Gower National Trust, National Coastwatch Institute Worms Head, Oxwich Coastguard team, Reynoldston Fire Service/First Response team, Rhossili Coastguard team and RNLI Horton.
The training day came about following a request from RCC to the Samaritans for advice on how best to support the community, particularly those in more frontline positions, who may need to engage with vulnerable individuals at a time of crisis and contemplating suicide. According to the Suicide & Self-Harm Prevention website, each year, between 300 – 350 people die by suicide in Wales. While a rare event, each suicide can have a wide impact, potentially affecting up to 135 other people. We were mindful of the events over the previous 8-12 months, particularly the sad death of Reginald Rees last August, which attracted much media attention. What skills might be useful for people first on the scene when someone is at risk of suicide? We discussed this with some key staff at the Samaritans Wales HQ and they swiftly mobilised resources to bring about the training.
The one day course, expertly facilitated by Samaritan Bernadette Davies, sought to equip attendees with the skills and confidence to intervene and engage a person at risk of suicide and keep them as safe as possible until specialist help or emergency services arrive. The approach was relaxed, interactive and thought-provoking, encouraging reflection, problem solving and role-play, with some laughter as Bernadette shared some more amusing anecdotes. All 14 participants gave very positive feedback on the day and clearly saw it as being of value, with comments such as:
“Really positive approach to a challenging subject. The professionalism and mix of backgrounds in the room was a source of real strength, and our Course Leader brought out the best in us”;
“Provided insights and confidence to make an intervention. The thought that it is very difficult to make a situation worse was enlightening.”
In the week prior to the one day course, we also hosted a coffee morning ‘conversation’ with two volunteers from the Samaritans, open to the community. This was also very informative and helped dispel a few concerns about ‘what to say’ and the fear of making the situation worse.
We are very grateful to all of the Samaritans staff and volunteers and NHS Wales Executive team who helped make both events possible, and to Charlotte and Mairwen for the excellent lunch!
