Helen Bartlett

Chaplain to Northeast England

What area of the UK rails do you cover? 

Durham is my first ‘port of call’ not far from where I live. I cover from Berwick in the North as far as Thirsk, the last station before York. From just east of Carlisle as far as Whitby in the east. There are roughly 70 or so stations in that area and I cover Network Rail, Cross Country, Grand Central, LNER, Lumo, Northern, TPE. I am also a BTP Chaplain. I do 3 days a week, usually Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays but this can often change!

What inspired you to become a railway chaplain?

I have been a Chaplain in a University College in Durham and then a Chaplain in a Hospice. I also worked as a Counsellor in Middlesbrough College. I was looking for a new job and the Railway Mission had an advert out at the time. I was intrigued by the job, not having come across this kind of Chaplaincy before. I went along and had an intensive interview and came back to Birmingham with Angela one of the other prospective Chaplains. We both unpacked our interviews together that day and I was sitting in Birmingham station waiting to go home when Liam telephoned and invited me to take the post.

How do you spend a typical day in the role?

Typical day? That’s quite funny as each day is very different from each other. Total flexibility is usually the name of the game! When I start the week, I have to check through my emails and see whether there is anything that needs responding to straight away. This might be fatality reports from Network Rail, other reports from BTP (British Transport Police), messages that need to be replied to, or people who need to be contacted by phone. This has to happen each day but it’s much quicker to do now rather than later on in the week. And once that is done, then I need to set to and head off to the station. Durham is my first station, so I head there first and check that the station staff are doing well. I then have the choice of going south down to London or north towards Edinburgh. It could include a visit, a meeting or whatever. Of course, that depends on my diary!

How do you tailor your chaplaincy work to the specific needs and challenges faced by railway employees?

‘Support on life’s journey’......that’s the slogan on my Railway Mission lanyard and that’s what I try to do. If a member of staff is talking about an important issue with me, I may just delay my departure a little. On other occasions, I may have to get back in touch later on that day or maybe telephone them at a later date. You have to weigh up the pros and cons and listen to your ‘antennae’. This is something you learn over the years and as relationships develop.

How does your faith play a role in the support you provide and how do you navigate the diversity of beliefs and backgrounds of the railway workers with whom you interact?

It is amusing that although I am a lay Chaplain and not ordained, I am called all sorts of names: Chaplin (note the spelling!) Padre, Vicar, the one who has the Hotline to God!....the important thing for me is that I am me, Helen, your Chaplain and I am ready to listen and have conversations. I will talk about being involved with the Railway Mission and that it is a Christian Organisation. I have my own Christian faith to hold on to and obviously, that can make some conversations more difficult. At the moment, I am part of Network Rail’s Multi-Faith project. The ex Co-Chair of the Multi Faith group is a Christian friend and last year I did a lot to support her and encourage her. This year I have not been able to get along quite as much. Just over a week ago I had been talking to a lady passenger and I chatted to her about her brother who was dying from cancer in Birmingham, from Durham to Leeds. We talked about faith, death and life. I sent a message and she told me that he had become a Christian. A few days later she texted to say that he had just died. This felt like a precious moment. Folk on the stations have talked about their faith and have been frank about their beliefs. The whole area of Homosexuality rears its head a lot on the railway and this is something I have to listen to and grapple with a fair amount. God loves each of us and my role is to love and care as He would have done.

Can you share a memorable experience from your time as a chaplain?

Where do you start?......with the innumerable deaths, including fatalities, that I have been supporting, or the in-service deaths that have happened within Network Rail and the TOCs, the wedding of a Christian train driver who writes Christian songs and met her husband in her cab (he hopped in for a lift back home!) Or meeting George Clarke and Jonathan Edwards and having photos with the Strictly Come Dancing dancers at Kings Cross. I’ve helped Angela with the Remembrance Service in York and the Northern Inductions in Leeds.

‘Big J’ is the person I’ll tell you about. He was always a smiley fellow at the station. We would always have a chat and he’d joke about the fact that I had a ‘hotline to God’! He was an only son and his parents loved him to bits. He cared for them in a wonderful way. He and his wife would spot planes together and he was always looking after everyone. He was a big lad and although he would eat a nice big healthy salad he was often tempted by other niceties. We would often talk seriously, about the Church, Church buildings, his weight and health and his great affection for his parents and your sense was that he would have done anything for them. The staff tried to encourage him to eat healthily and work carefully but one day, I went into the station and found that he had never woken up from his sleep. Needless to say, we had a tough time at the station. A huge loss. They were great towards me but I did a lot of supporting and caring. They asked me to take the funeral. He was cremated at the Crem just off the West Rd in Newcastle. A lot of people came along. I went up to see his wife, beforehand and became fond of her and his parents. We have continued to be in touch. Just a couple of months ago, I rang his wife and she answered. It was wonderful to hear that she was away, she had taken the plunge to go on a solo foreign holiday and was watching the planes just like they had always done together!

What are the challenges you often encounter in your work as a chaplain within the railway industry, and how do you address them?

I have sometimes found myself being very much alone in what I am doing. In those cases, it is important to ask God for his help and support. I will also talk to my husband, other Chaplains, including my manager, other Christians and folk who pray for me. My mother is a great listener and she prays for me regularly. I have told her that I am going to retire in the late Summer and she said that she will miss supporting me in that way.

When you are looking after difficulties or fatalities it is also vital to share some of the concerns you have with your managers. Have an open discussion.

Sometimes we may not have the answers to particular problems. That’s where we need to remind ourselves that we are part of a ‘team ‘ and we can ask for help or signpost folk to their doctor or other helping agencies.

On other occasions, we have to realise we can’t do it all. That’s where we just have to respect the situation and say that we have to stop there.

Resourcing ourselves - essential wholesome support for others. Praying as chaplains  ...vital for our well-being. Enjoying a week’s leave; having both my ‘jabs’...all essential protection. Staff still face enormous challenges in keeping trains running.... and running on time. Stations still have vulnerable people. Staff keep encouraging support of others facing difficulties.

What message or advice would you like to share with railway employees and their families who may be reading this blog post?

Support on life’s journey ‘. The Railway is a family which I have come to know and love, over the last few years. A family is full of ‘warts and all’. I am coming up to retirement soon and I have been very privileged to be given the opportunities to care, support and pray for many on the railway.

Finally, how can people inside and outside the railway industry support the work of Railway Mission and chaplains like you?

A lot of the folk within the railway industry have been helped by our work, especially in relation to fatalities, bereavements, and personal difficulties but also in their celebrations of birth or new jobs, recovery from illnesses, weddings and other successes.

Folk can pray, be a Chaplain on placement, give money, ride on trains, and read our website.

Keep an eye out for the next in our railway chaplain blog post series.