Hi everyone. This week’s announcement of further easing of restrictions will have heartened millions. The huge amount of coverage on people being able to hug again reflects the impact lockdown has had on wellbeing, which is timely, coinciding with Mental Health Awareness Week. More on this and other forthcoming events below.
You can also see our updated Covid guidance for community rail, reflecting the latest changes, here. Scroll down for members and partners’ stories. If you have items for future bulletins, email Nik.
Summer Days Out are Better by Rail campaign
We’ll be launching our Summer Days Out are Better by Rail campaign on 30 June. We’re encouraging our members to use this campaign as a springboard for their own tourism and leisure promotions and work with their partners at a local level. To assist, we will be providing digital marketing materials and press release templates, available from the end of May. Keep checking our campaign webpage and social media feeds for further updates. We continue to work with rail partners to get a greater understanding of wider industry plans to encourage rail use post 21 June. We know a potential campaign is planned and details are being finalised. We should have more to report in the next bulletin.
Mental Health Awareness Week
The main message for this Mental Health Awareness Week (10–16 May), is to #ConnectWithNature, given its positive impact on wellbeing. Take a look here for resources on this topic that you may find useful. We know community rail partnerships and station friends across Britain have an array of inspiring projects getting people gardening, supporting biodiversity, and helping people to use active travel and enjoy green spaces, benefitting people and nature. Let us know about your nature projects, and favourite walks by rail, and we’ll feature them across our social media feeds
National Walking Month #WalkThisMay
Many community rail initiatives promote walking and enable more people to get out and about, for travel or leisure, alongside rail. Living Streets, who organise National Walking Month, are clear that walking is wonderful, for health, wellbeing, sustainability, and our communities. They have a great range of info and resources you can use to continue encouraging and celebrating walking, this month and beyond.
Community Rail Awards surgeries
From Monday 28 June, we’ll be running seven weekly surgeries to assist you with your Community Rail Awards entries this year. These will be drop-in sessions on Zoom with no need to book, where you can ask questions and get help, from category guidance to technical support uploading your entry. See our surgery schedule.
Webinars: modal shift and rail’s green credentials
Bookings are now open for both our sustainability-themed webinars in June:
- Promoting rail’s green credentials, 10am–12noon, Tues 8 June, providing the latest facts, figures and insights to help community rail shine a light on the sustainability of rail travel. Book now.
- Encouraging and enabling modal shift, 10–11:30am, Weds 23 June, highlighting how community rail can support modal shift from private car to rail, other public transport, and active travel, through effective, evidence-based community engagement. Book now.
Northern Transport Summit
Taking place online on Thurs 27 May, the Northern Transport Summit, held by Transport Focus and Transport for the North, will look at how we can better connect people and places in the North. Community Rail Network will be contributing as part of the Rail & Road forum. Our members can access a 50% discount to attend the opening plenary session and Rail & Road summit. Find out more and book.
Your next bulletin is on 26 May. Keep up-to-date in between on Twitter and Facebook.
News from our partners
News from our members
- Backtrack competition returns for 2021
- Station adopters join Greater Anglia and WildEast pledging station land to nature
- Community rail to provide key support for Lowestoft heritage festival
- Tyne Valley CRP celebrate World Book Night
- Derbyshire’s Willington Station platform art gallery opens for viewing
- Driffield Station back in bloom with help from local students
- Iconic poet featured at Glossop’s Poetry Platform
- Transport for Wales – community rail ambassador vacancy
