Ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week (11–17 May), Govia Thameslink Railway colleague Thomas Starbuck is sharing his powerful story of recovery from homelessness and trauma to help encourage more open conversations around mental health. After struggling with his mental health in the 1990s and spending years without a permanent home, Thomas rebuilt his life through therapy, support, and a rewarding career on the railway — where he now champions wellbeing and mental health awareness among colleagues.
Thomas, 57, experienced homelessness for three years as the effects of childhood trauma followed him into adult life. It wasn’t until 2020, when Thomas began cognitive behavioural therapy, that he learnt how to face his past and rebuild his mental health.
“As a teenager I was very naïve and shy, due to being relentlessly bullied at school. This sadly led to certain people taking advantage of me – a trauma which I carried into my twenties. This made this period of my life tumultuous, because it made me confused about a lot of things. In 1996, this came to a head when I had a mental breakdown. I left my home and walked away from my family, which was the start of my homelessness.
“I was living in a homeless shelter in Clapham for nine months until someone found me accommodation, but my mental health was still suffering and after 18 months I was back on the streets. I stayed in a winter shelter for a couple of months before I was moved to a halfway house in Gipsy Hill, which is where I was put in touch with mental health professionals and they helped turn my life around. I eventually got a place in Thornton Heath, which I’m happy to say I still live in today.”
In 2000, Thomas successfully applied for his first role in the railway as a gateline assistant at London Victoria station, after seeing the role advertised in his local paper. Twenty-six years later and Thomas is now a Customer Ambassador for Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and has made it his mission to support his colleagues’ mental health.
“I was thrilled when I got my gateline job because it was the start of a new chapter in my life. I’ve really enjoyed my career in the railway, especially when I was a station announcer, but during that time I was still dealing with some mental health issues until I started cognitive behavioural therapy in 2020. This therapist was brilliant at helping me understand my underlying issues and gave me the tools I needed to maintain my mental health. It also helped me to move on from the trauma of my past, because I wouldn’t allow the people who hurt me as a teenager win.
“Since then, I’ve been passionate about getting involved in wellbeing at GTR and I encourage colleagues to talk about mental health, because it helps release that burden some people may be carrying. I update our health and wellbeing board regularly, so colleagues are educated on GTR’s helpful resources, and point people towards the Railway Chaplain network, which is brilliant because they offer year-round support for anyone with personal or work-related issues.”
In addition to a network of wellbeing champions, GTR also provides staff with dedicated caring for the vulnerable training as well as training on how to make a safe intervention on the railway. Employees with TRiM (Trauma Risk Management) qualifications help to oversee the welfare of other colleagues and the rail operator also offers support from Samaritans.
Image credit: GTR
