For ‘The Clitheroe Line: A Picturesque Railway Journey’, Community Rail Lancashire brought together over 50 vulnerable adults through Arts2Heal, a Blackburn-based charity supporting neurodiverse and disabled adults. The project aimed to combat social isolation and enhance wellbeing through activities that combined collaborative, creative expression with sustainable travel.

Over several months, participants travelled by train to all ten stations between Clitheroe and Bolton, capturing photographs of local landmarks and scenic views. Local residents provided guided tours, sharing knowledge and stories and fostering genuine inter-community connections.

Creative workshops provided the space for participants to develop personal narratives inspired by their experiences. Some crafted unique 3D picture frames using recycled materials, and others made sketches and wrote personal stories and poems. By integrating storytelling with visual arts, all participants – including those who struggled with verbal communication – felt empowered to express themselves through the creative medium of their choice.

The initiative culminated in a digital and physical exhibition which launched at Blackburn Market in March 2025 and has gone on to tour other locations. Participants' photographs have also been included in other promotional materials for the line, including timetables, posters and banners – encouraging greener travel to the area and preserving the heritage and beauty of the Clitheroe Line for future generations.

The project achieved transformative outcomes for both individual participants and the wider community. Participants reported increased confidence in rail travel, with this individual empowerment also extending beyond mobility to reduced isolation, new friendships and skills, and a renewed sense of purpose.

‘Do You See What I See?’, a collaboration between Essex Sight Loss Council and Thomas Pocklington Trust, marked two historic anniversaries, linking the bicentenary of the railways with the bicentenary of braille to raise awareness of the impact of sight loss and make busy station spaces more welcoming for passengers.

The project was co-produced with blind and partially sighted (BPS) people, working alongside professional artists Lindsey Whitelaw and Clarke Reynolds. Participants created artworks that interpreted how sight loss uniquely affected them as individuals. These tactile and audio-described works were then compiled for exhibitions on display at Colchester, Norwich, and Broxbourne stations.

At Colchester, the exhibition launched in the waiting room on platform 4, supported by poster board space from Essex & South Suffolk CRP. Essex Sight Loss Council also hosed a symposium at Greater Anglia’s Colchester offices on the launch day, enabling BPS people to share lived experiences directly with transport leaders, with a view to influencing ongoing accessibility improvements across Greater Anglia’s network.

The ‘Do You See What I See?’ exhibition has reached thousands of passengers passing through the stations, enabling more people to encounter tactile, braille and audio described artworks in everyday settings, broadening the wider public’s understanding of how art can be inclusive and multi-sensory.

For this project, Wokingham Learning Disability Partnership Board (WLDPB), adopters of Wokingham Station, aimed to celebrate community creativity while commemorating Railway 200. The goal was to highlight the talents of people with learning disabilities, turning the station into a space of colour, inspiration and connection.

The project was delivered over several months with extensive focus on accessibility. Artist Jo Werrett worked closely with participants from WLDPB, CLASP, Optalis, Support Horizons, Dimensions and PINC, hosting sessions at multiple venues across Berkshire. Jo tailored instructions and demonstrations to different learning styles and provided one-to-one guidance where needed, ensuring every individual could participate fully in decorating a railway track panel and learning about aspects of local railway heritage.

Each panel became a personal expression of creativity, and these unique designs were assembled into a cohesive artwork at Wokingham Station celebrating journeys, connection and community. The public unveiling was attended by the Town Mayor and covered by local media, enhancing the participants’ sense of pride and achievement, whilst fostering deeper understanding amongst the public of the abilities and talents of people with learning disabilities.

The collaborative artwork has not only transformed the space at Wokingham Station into one that is vibrant and engaging, but it has delivered profound benefits for participants too. Those involved in the project have developed practical artistic skills, gained confidence in self-expression, and experienced social interaction and teamwork opportunities.