Bonded Together with a Prayer Bead – Community Rail Lancashire
Concept and aims Community Rail Lancashire has been working with Arts2Heal, a small charity in Blackburn that was set up to help and support people with issues of anxiety and depression through the medium of art. The primary aim is to use creativity to help people overcome mental health barriers to participating more fully in society, with […]
Bringing the Sunshine to Morecambe – Community Rail Lancashire
Concept and aims Research suggests there is a strong link between high poverty levels and low educational attainment. According to figures from the National Literacy Trust, one in three children from the Bradford region left primary school with low reading skills last year, and in some areas, nearly half of adults (47.2%) had literacy skills […]
Horizons – Community Rail Lancashire
This project was born when Community Rail Lancashire (CRL) began work with the Carlton Junior and Infant School in Dewsbury, whose pupils rarely engaged with the railway and in many cases, had never been on a train before. The school’s headteacher was keen for this to change, and for pupils to raise their aspirations and ambitions. Pupils […]
Railway Confidence Programmes – Community Rail Lancashire
Overview Young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) often struggle to access public transport for a range of reasons, from sensory or physical needs to a lack of confidence. Most of the young people engaged in this programme had never travelled by train before, meaning that every stage that forms part of a […]
Seats to Sacks – Community Rail Lancashire
Seats to Sacks is an innovative project devised by Community Rail Lancashire, that aimed to reduce social isolation whilst turning railway moquette into story sacks for primary school children. Concepts and Aims Network Rail’s Stay Safe with Thomas book is proving popular with children. Community Rail Lancashire’s Education Development Officer Karen Bennett thought it could be used in […]
Stand Clear of the Closet Doors – Community Rail Lancashire
Concept and aims Confident and safe use of public transport is a right that must be available to all people within our communities. However, in a London-based survey, 40% of LGBT+ people said they avoided using public transport because of fear of assault or actual assault. Therefore, it is vital to facilitate the sharing of […]
Women in STEM – Community Rail Lancashire
In 2019, only a quarter of employees working in core Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) industries were women. A need to address this imbalance led to Community Rail Lancashire (CRL) creating Women in STEM, a project designed to address gender bias and banish stereotypes that certain roles were only suited to men. The initiative looked at […]
Dave Carlisle: an outstanding volunteer – Friends of Buxton Station
Early days: When Dave Carlisle broke his hip and leg in a cycling accident, he used a period of enforced bedrest to form the beginnings of the Friends of Buxton Station (FoBS). He formulated ideas and started to gather people together, determined to make a positive difference to the town. The group initially focused on litter picking […]
Intergenerational art project – Friends of Rose Hill Station
Concept and aims The Friends of Rose Hill Station, in Marple, recognised that their area had an ageing population, with younger generations consisting mainly of families who had moved into the town. There was perceived to be a lack of inter-generational engagement and active participation in local life, resulting in a gap in the transfer of […]
Taking positive opportunities during Covid-19 – Heart of England CRP
Heart of England Community Rail Partnership is a recently formed community rail partnership, covering stations between Stratford-upon-Avon / Leamington Spa and Tysley, as well as stations to Nuneaton and West Coast mainline stations between Marston Green and Coventry. The CRP has adapted to the challenges brought on by Covid-19, by amplifying their online messaging and […]
