Friends,
As we head into the summer holiday season, here’s another date for your diary: Thursday 4 March 2027.
That’s the date for our next Community Rail Awards, which will take place at the Royal Armouries in Leeds. I’m delighted to confirm that Northern and TransPennine Express will be joining us as joint headline partners for what promises to be another fantastic opportunity to bring our grassroots movement together, celebrate our achievements and look ahead to the future of community rail.
Our gala ceremony remains a key moment in our calendar – a chance for community rail partnerships, station groups, industry colleagues, partners and stakeholders to connect, share ideas and showcase the incredible difference community rail makes in communities across Britain. Keep your eyes peeled for further updates from us over the coming weeks, including the launch of our online Awards Hub ahead of entries opening on Tuesday 1 September.
Turning to more current events, I’d like to offer my warmest congratulations to Andy Burnham on his appointment as Prime Minister.
Andy has long been a strong supporter of community rail, and during his time as Mayor of Greater Manchester he championed the role that integrated public transport can play in connecting people, supporting communities and driving inclusive growth. His commitment to making transport work better for people and places has been clear, and it is fantastic to now have such a strong community rail champion at the heart of government.
I would also like to welcome the decision for Heidi Alexander to remain as Secretary of State for Transport. Her continued leadership provides welcome certainty as we navigate a period of significant rail reform, and she has consistently demonstrated a belief in the importance of railways as a public good – something that aligns strongly with the values and ambitions of our movement.
Thank you, as always, for everything you do to make community rail such a positive force for communities across the country.
Best wishes
Jeremy
Days Out by Rail
We’re calling on members to share their local knowledge and hidden tourism gems that are easily accessible by train for our upcoming Days Out by Rail campaign (1-31 August). The campaign will be focused around three themes: summer days out for less; local family favourites; and taste your way by rail. See here for more details about these themes and how to get involved or get in touch with Alice.
AGM – save the date
Our Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 4 November, 2-3:30pm, via Zoom. Please save this date in your diaries and further information will follow, including details on the agenda, registration and board elections. All details will be available on our AGM webpage.
Upcoming sessions
We have several online training and networking sessions coming up:
- CRP chairs networking: Wednesday 29 July, 1:30-3:30pm. Discussion session for chairs to explore ways to build an effective board/steering group and recruit new members. Details here.
- Tourism Network: Thursday 6 August, 10-11:30am. Hear from Southeast Communities Rail Partnership and Whistlestop Arts about their podcast and film series promoting the Arun Valley Line to visitors. Email Alice for details.
- Sharpen your outcomes: Wednesday 12 August, 2-3pm. The second of three drop-in sessions for members to talk through their projects and refine their outcomes, with support from our training and development team. Register here.
- Education Network: Wednesday 19 August, 10-11am. This session will explore Community Rail Lancashire’s ‘Car or Nah’ youth engagement project, as well as looking at data collection and social value. Details here.
Your next bulletin is on 5 August. Keep up-to-date in between on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Bluesky and X.
Send your stories to our news@communityrail.org.uk and see our guidance on submitting stories.