Leisure and tourism initiatives can play a vital role in supporting local economies, encouraging more people to use the train for sustainable travel, healthy days out, short breaks, and longer stays. This award celebrates innovative and effective initiatives or events that have been promoted to audiences beyond the local community. We’re looking for submissions that can clearly evidence how they inspired and motivated people to use community rail lines and/or stations for leisure or tourism activities. Extra consideration will be given to submissions that can demonstrate partnership working with local businesses or tourism attractions alongside the promotion of sustainable and green travel messages. 

Entries invited from:

We invite entries from community rail partnerships, station adoption or friends’ groups, or other community groups and representatives working in partnership with a community rail member. Rail industry partners can submit entries where a project was undertaken in partnership with a community rail partnership or community group, but the entry must clearly demonstrate this partnership working, be agreed with the community partner(s), and their contact details provided.

Judging criteria:

• Delivery of an initiative or event that showcased a local leisure and tourism offer, promoted sustainable travel, and improved the overall visitor experience with community rail at its heart;
• Evidence of how the initiative or event was promoted to leisure and tourism audiences beyond the local community (e.g. through social media, distribution of promotional literature etc.);
• Demonstration of creative partnerships, working together to achieve results. Partners may include local attractions, heritage railway lines, tourism businesses, or third sector organisations;
• Evidence of an effective evaluation approach including details of the estimated visitor reach, feedback, and outcomes achieved, where possible.