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Upfront, the Samaritans social media team on Facebook blocked me after I pointed out the below in a much shorter text. So far to how much they really care. And no, I wasn’t rude or used any swear words.
Also at the bottom of this page about the poor scoring on Trustpilot. Here’s just one of many reviews, and then it makes sense why Samaritans “recruit” members of the public:
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Important UPDATE April 2024 at the bottom of this post HOW the Smaritans started.
UPDATE 14. August 2024:
“Sexual harassment against women and girls up 50% on British railways”
UPDATE 2025: Trustpilot reviews at the very bottom of this page. 80% (1 & 2 star reviews combined) disapprove of Samaritans. When I saw the percentage, I thought I accidentally went on the Pret A Manger Trustpilot reviews as they also have 73% disapproval rate.
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Poor quality Audio Version via “AI” conversion. Apologies for the lack of crisp quality. This is for people with visual impairment where “AI” programs can’t read screenshots. I briefly explain via audio what the videos and photos show. Please note, the audio is NOT updated with any of the text updates here.
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The Samaritans together with Network Rail and Transport Police have brought out an ad campaign to prevent suicide. The way they’re doing this had me shocked and many women and some men outraged on Twitter/X.
Four such ads appeared in a row within days. The slogan is “Small-talk saves lives” under the hashtag #SmallTalkSavesLives.
There are SO MANY issues with this ad.
- They want the PUBLIC who are NOT trained in mental health and even in such serious mental health condition of suicidal ideation to take it amongst themselves to “save a life”.
- They ONLY use women to initiate “small talk” with complete strangers on railway or underground platforms.
- They want people to ASSUME that someone is suicidal who might look sad or just look however.
- They are guilt-tripping, in this case especially women, into feeling bad if someone might be suicidal and the woman didn’t initiate “small talk”.
All my red flags went up when I first saw the ad on X. And as someone on the other side of this, struggling with suicidal thoughts at times, I am appalled!
In the UK, especially in London, attacks and sexual assaults have increased, EVEN in broad daylight on trains and stations etc. And yet, Samaritans, Police and Rail company want WOMEN to approach complete strangers to start a conversation.
One, you can tell that MEN must have been behind that ad. EVERY woman has at one point or another been sexually assaulted, often since childhood and repeatedly. And they know that! Although the CEO is female and the lead psychologist coming up with this ad is also female. It’s the way women are raised.
Two, these men who run the ad campaign, and especially money-saving railway and police want women again to do the heavy lifting and emotional labour.
Three, and even worse, they want UNTRAINED people to deal with extreme mental health crisis of strangers.
And four, to do this with “small talk”!
I struggle with suicidal thoughts. It has become much less, but it is always at the back of my mind! Small-talk is THE LAST thing I want. I never liked small-talk to begin with! And I certainly won’t want a stranger, especially a man to approach me doing small-talk during a mental health crisis! Let alone a woman approach a man!
Also, many people just look tired or sad, after all we live in a busy city. But for the Samaritans to want people to assume someone is suicidal and strike up a conversation is horrendous. I often look sad, even before my brother died I had a serious look on my face because I’m a thinker! People often commented on my serious looking face. I’d be so offended if I was NOT suicidal and someone assumes this and then starts a chitter-chatter!
This ad campaign feels like a lazy cop-out by mental health services as the NHS is overstretched, to “employ” free mental health workers who are NOT qualified, and then to approach strangers. And they appeal mainly to women to do the work!
I am absolutely appalled. And since the comments on X went through the roof, Samaritans have added a post 4 days later adding that people should call 999 if they’re not comfortable. Well, dah!
I and many others have appealed to Samaritans to drop the ad, or at least use MEN to talk to MEN!!!
“Small talk can take lives”!
Here are the examples, with the last video being THE WORST ad I’ve ever seen on any subject!
The first one is, again, women pampering men in the name of free treatment to “save a life”! My stomach’s turning! And please know this is not an anti-men blog post! I’m neither gay nor anti-men, and I know there are more good men in the world than the creeps who fill the news! I love men, I appreciate men, I feel good around great men! This is about the coercion of females and their empathy again.
Next:
“Something didn’t feel right. … Just that one little bit of positive small talk and it can go so far.” Yep, it can go so far! It can get you raped or killed! Women are told to FEEL something and make assumptions to approach men to chat!
Really? People sit in a nail salon telling the staff they feel/felt suicidal? And then some small-talk does the trick?
How much did those ad campaigns, especially the videos with actors cost??
And the absolute worst and DANGEROUS ad, telling women to “trust your instincts” while in reality gaslighting them to OVER-RIDE / IGNORE / QUESTION their instincts! Link to the video below as well.
Screenshot:
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Video, press play:
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In case Samaritans delete the video, here’s another LINK.
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REMINDER
Sexual and other assaults on women and girls on railway and tube has increased by 50% in the last 2-3 years. It has DOUBLED!
And this is only on public transport!!! We don’t know what the numbers are on the street and behind closed doors.
The stastistic is NOT that male suicides on railway and tube is up by 50%, but assault on females. WHERE are the campaigns for men to step up and look out for women’s safety instead of being SPECTATORS while women get raped and assaulted?! Because we live in a porn sick society, where porn and prostitution has been normalised.
Shame on Samaritans, Network Rail, and unsurprisingly Police for the lazy and money-saving aim to coerce women to approach men and play saviour again!
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I say it again, women are being told to “trust their instincts” while in reality being coerced to IGNORE / OVER-RIDE their instincts and approach complete strangers on a train platform for small talk!
One guy on X tried to guilt-trip me, and make me responsible if a man dies by suicide. I responded that I’d rather hurt his (the X poster’s) feelings than endanger my life. I made it very clear that if I think he or someone is about to end their life, I WILL call for help!
I will NOT, as a lone woman on a platform close to the edge start “small talk” with a man who looks sad or tired or whatever! I will look for staff, call mental health service or even police depending on the situation! ! ! !
But I will NOT approach a stranger to start a conversation! It is NOT my job to be the saviour of strangers and make assumptions about someone’s mental health state! ! ! !
What’s also so appalling in the ad is that behind the “assumed” suicidal man is a MALE staff member with orange vest! But it’s the woman who is implored to talk to the man!
I raised this with Network Rail saying that this is clever to manipulate people to think you’re not alone and there’s staff close by! I NEVER see ANY staff on platforms anymore!!! And then, why is the trained staff member not implored to speak to the man?!
It’s clear why! Women are being lured into danger at worst, or to do the heavy lifting in emotional labour at best.
I say it loud and unashamed, do NOT approach a stranger on a platform, but call for help! End of!
I speak openly about my struggles to take the sting out and release the “mystery” of such horrible thoughts to lighten the pain.
I wrote a blog post years ago briefly linking to helplines that have helped me personally:
But the Samaritans have lost me here.
One tweet gave the CORRECT approach and it’s appalling that Samaritans want women to approach strangers assuming severe mental health issues. Help someone as a group.
And Samaritans are hiding comments from people, as well as having blocked me on Facebook.
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Three things:
- This is a man dealing with a young lad. Although women can do of course, BUT
- He worked in a team.
- With a signaller, everyone looking out for each other including for the young lad.
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THAT’S how you do it!!!
No “small-talk”, no woman approaching a guy ALONE! Shame on Samaritans and Network Rail, and I’m not even surprised that British Transport Police endorse this.
I don’t expect anything from police with their record of corruption, misogyny, violence against women etc. etc.!
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Also someone on social media pointing out that suicide is not only due psychosocial reasons.
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And someone else quoted CEO pay. How can a CEO of a MENTAL HEALTH CHARITY get almost the same pay than the Prime Minister of the UK or the President of the USA??
And funds go into media and ads and executives, while the frontline hard work is done by UNPAID volunteers!!! Also, voluteers have NO labour rights under the law like paid workers have. This is all backwards!
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I question the motives of the Samaritans leadership, and I lived long enough to know that for Network Rail (companies) etc. it’s all about money. We live in a world where FREE labour (volunteer work) and low wages are normalised. So, let the public, and especially women, do all the work for free. Appalling!
Now, we mature women see this bullsh!t ad for what it is, aiming to appeal at female empathy, but imagine a teenage girl or even a woman in her 20s seeing such an ad, and them knowing how women’s empathy is being tapped into! She takes this on and assumes she can or “HAS TO” save a man who stands there staring into air! FFS! Women are drilled from childhood on to submit, to shush, to serve, to save! And they know that very well. And many women, like the CEO and the lead psychologist cater to this as well.
If you don’t read anything else, please read the following review by an ex-Samaritan volunteer!!!
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Female volunteers are STILL coached to go along with sex calls! (Please see infobelow n the “Brenda” line).
Where is the MeToo movement when we need them?!
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Reading these reviews by callers and volunteers alike, it’s very clear that Samaritans TARGET women to save orplease men! Shame on them. These “services” need massive investigation and change!
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To give UNPAID volunteers SUCH serious, difficult, degrading line of work is not only unfair, but cruel and unethical!
And to any volunteer of any charity, please KNOW that no charity can demand you to commit to work!!! They can only demand PAID employees with a contract, but not unpaid volunteers. Volunteer have NO rights and also cannot be forced to commit.
Here just a few of the many horror news on women being pushed unto traintracks or women being raped, sexually assaulted on trains, platforms in broad daylight. I only link to the news without showing pictures. Yes, this is done to men as well, but we all know the statistics of more violence against women by men than vice versa.
It’s the same with vans, I stay away from vans with open door. If I’m called over and asked to help someone get something in or out of a van or car, I decline and respond to ask a shop or men or whatever. Again, I’d rather hurt someone’s feelings than endanger myself.
Not to mention that a predator can pretend to be mentally distressed to lure women in. We already fight against men suddenly identifying as women to get into women’s prisons, women’s sports, women’s toilets, locker rooms, hospital wards etc. etc. And Samaritans want to lure women and girls to save a man via small-talk! Absolute irresponsible sh!t show!
It just seems that the war on women is in full swing. Women have become too independent, strong, self-sufficient, have opinions, leadership etc. they want to rein women in again! We need to fight over and over not just for new rights, but to not lose the hard-fought rights women and men achieved years ago.
And we women know that when we just even smile at a stranger, some men take this as a hint. Let alone strike up a conversation!
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UPDATE 2025 – The above comment is shown in black and white on a Pret A Manger Twitter comment by a pastor who assumed he was “hit on” by a female staff member because she smiled at him. For one, I educated him that Pret staff HAVE TO smile, or no-one gets bonus, and 2. the fact that some men take a smile, let alone initiation of small-talk as a hint …nothing more to say.
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The following is only in the UK, I can’t be bothered to include other countries:
December 2023 during the MORNING commute: “A woman was raped on the London Underground in front of other passengers. Why did no one intervene?”
(Maybe because too many men are addicted to porn and see assaults like this as normal? Every onlooker’s hard-drive should be checked as well as judges who give lenient sentences to rapists and paedophiles!)
And yes, crimes happen to men too, and women too commit crimes, but we all know that violent and sexual crimes are predominantly committed by men against women and children. And the appalling way judges, the media etc. cater to violent rapists who quickly identify as women to get lenient sentencing and go to women’s prisons, these rapist are called “she/her” in court to put crimes on women! Absolutely fed up with this!
And before anyone says I’m transphobic, fnck right off! I love and support transman Buck Angel, transwoman Blaire White and many others, both who get a lot of backlash, even death threats for speaking sense into this madness! So, try your BS somewhere else!
November 2023: “Woman pushed towards tracks at busy London Tube station after being grabbed by man“
27.02.2024 (yesterday): “Hunt for man who ‘masturbated in front of woman on Elizabeth line train”
August 2023: “Disabled woman describes ‘horrifying moment’ she was sexually assaulted on a train“
2017: “Wheelchair-bound woman pushed on to train tracks and bashed in head”
2019 Scotland: “Street beggar raped woman after she tried to help him“
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And many, many, many more horror stories. So, let’s just send women to strangers for small-talk, hey?!
November 2023 Survey: “One in three women sexually harassed while commuting by train or Tube, survey reveals”
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REMINDER!
Sexual and other assaults on women and girls on railway and tube has increased by 50% in the last 2-3 years. It has DOUBLED!
And this is only on public transport!!! We don’t know what the numbers are on the street and behind closed doors.
The stastistic is NOT that male suicides on railway and tube is up by 50%, but assault on females. WHERE are the campaigns for men to step up and look out for women’s safety instead of being SPECTATORS while women get raped and assaulted?! Because we live in a porn sick society, where porn and prostitution has been normalised.
Shame on Samaritans, Network Rail, and unsurprisingly Police for the lazy and money-saving aim to coerce women to approach men and play saviour again!
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Some of the many comments, these are just some of my favourites, hitting the nail on the head. Emotional blackmail in full swing!
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THIS is my favourite comment, SPOT ON observation!
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And many, many, many more. You can look those up on Twitter/X. I cannot keep doing such long blog posts. I think people get the message. Speak to your friends, colleagues, especially female, to truly trust their instincts and NOT over-ride them!
The outcry by mainly women but also several men has led Samaritans to update with the following:
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!!! REMINDER !!!
Sexual and other assaults on women and girls on railway and tube has increased by 50% in the last 2-3 years. It has DOUBLED!
And this is only on public transport!!! We don’t know what the numbers are on the street and behind closed doors.
The stastistic is NOT that male suicides on railway and tube is up by 50%, but assault on females. WHERE are the campaigns for men to step up and look out for women’s safety instead of being SPECTATORS while women get raped and assaulted?! Because we live in a porn sick society, where porn and prostitution has been normalised.
Shame on Samaritans, Network Rail, and unsurprisingly Police for the lazy and money-saving aim to coerce women to approach men and play saviour again!
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But the outcry remains, and people continue to raise their voice for Samaritans to drop the ad or use men to talk to men, in groups!
Do NOT approach a stranger to strike up a conversation / small talk, especially not as women towards men! ALWAYS call for help if you think something’s wrong! And leave the mental health heavy lifting to the professionals.
If you have suicidal friends/family member, and I have burdened many friends, especially in a drunken state, you did the right thing to continue giving mental health links. Don’t abandon the friendship if you can, but you did and do the right thing to call for or point to professionals.
Thank you.
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UPDATE April 2024
As I still inform people, especially women on social media on the horrible “Smalltalk” ads, I was linked to an excellent exposé by a blogger who did amazing research into the founder of the Samaritans. PLEASE READ!
Link to Tweet.
Link to blogger’s article: The Brenda Line – Samartitans 2
UPDATE April 2025 – I just found this interview. I had a hunge that a psychologist is behind this ad campaign. And unfortunately a female psychologist who, as many women do, throw other women under the bus. No thought about the dangers, maybe she was protected all her life.
Quote: “We spoke to Dr Lisa Marzano, lead psychologist behind the campaign, who works with the Samaritans Media Advisory Team, and previously British Transport Police, on training staff in helping suicidal people.”
On training STAFF!!!!! But she’s behind the ad campaign guilt-tripping members of the public, especially women to do this work! Appalling!
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Link to interview.
UPDATE 2025 – I just took a look at Samaritans Trustpilot reviews and they speak for itself.
Link to Samaritans reviews.
Hoping for an undercover journalist to go undercover as a volunteer. And for anyone saying reviews are fake, many people on Trustpilot leave reviews under their name and have a mix of positive and negative reviews on organisations. If people are happy, why should they leave a fake negative review?
But I am very weary of “charities”. It’s always about funding once these organisations grow.
Samaritans score April 2025:
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And the mental health charity Mind, of whom I read someone doing what I do with Pret, calling out systemic workplace bullying within the charity have 95% bad scores on Trustpilot (1 & 2 star reviews combined). If a journalist can go undercover into these “charities”. There’s something really really wrong here.
Link to Mind Trustpilot reviews.
This recent review also talks about Samaritans:
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Pret score April 2025:
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I worked at Pret A Manger and survived systemic workplace bullying during bereavement that involved HR, the top leadership, HQ and even the now “retired” former CEO Clive Schlee. Schlee has been appointed CEO of itsu in 2024 by Julian Metcalfe who gave him the CEO spot at Pret many years ago.
I declined 4 settlement offers if I am silent about my ordeal. But I rather speak out to help others. For an overview of important blog entries of my experience with Pret, please visit “My Ordeal with Pret A Manger”. The little arrow to the right next to each heading will lead directly to the post.
An incomplete list on what other Pret staff say about Pret’s bullying environment: Caught in the Act Bullying at Pret and What shop MANAGERS & HQ staff say about Pret incl. CEO Pano Christou.
I tell my story for the first time verbally in below audio player interview on a podcast by The Adam Paradox, and wrote two articles in the Scottish Left Review as well as mentioned by the BBC.
Please also see the MEDIA page for more on my work with the press.
NEW LinkTree
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Thank you for reading/listening.
©2017 – Present: expret.org
Interview:
(Please be aware that the player shows 0:00 but just press play)
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Unless otherwise stated or linked to, this website and all writings within this site are the property of expret.org and are protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. Reproduction and distribution of my writings without written permission is prohibited.
©2017 – Present: expret.org unless otherwise stated. All Rights reserved. Disclaimer.
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! ! ! R E M I N D E R ! ! !
Sexual and other assaults on women and girls on railway and tube has increased by 50% in the last 2-3 years. It has DOUBLED!
And this is only on public transport!!! We don’t know what the numbers are on the street and behind closed doors.
The stastistic is NOT that male suicides on railway and tube is up by 50%, but assault on females. WHERE are the campaigns for men to step up and look out for women’s safety instead of being SPECTATORS while women get raped and assaulted?! Because we live in a porn sick society, where porn and prostitution has been normalised.
Shame on Samaritans, Network Rail, and unsurprisingly Police for the lazy and money-saving aim to coerce women to approach men and play saviour again!
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Bullied during bereavement in Pret A Manger 
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