Gloucestershire CRP sought to understand and address barriers to sustainable travel among young people, developing a practical toolkit empowering businesses to engage young people and consider their aspirations for greener travel.

Through workshops, surveys and research, the partnership brought together over 600 young people, five businesses and multiple rail industry partners to address sustainable travel challenges collaboratively, but with a youth-led approach. Gloucestershire CRP supported the young people to synthesise their research and findings into a comprehensive toolkit, as well as creating marketing assets to promote the toolkit more widely.

The project has positioned Gloucestershire CRP as a leader in youth-focused sustainable travel initiatives. Early indicators suggest increased interest from businesses in sustainable travel promotion and greater awareness among young people about their travel options. Cotswold Plus, a Local Visitor Economy Partnership, has incorporated the toolkit into its sustainability strategy, amplifying impact on sustainable travel among visitors and supporting destinations, and 15 of the young people involved in the project expressed an interest in ongoing involvement through a dedicated youth transport forum.

This initiative demonstrates how community rail partnerships can drive positive change through inclusive cross-sector partnerships, leveraging youth perspectives, and creating practical solutions. By aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goals and focusing on long-term sustainability, the Youth Travel Toolkit project is building a legacy of sustainable transport for future generations in Gloucestershire.

When the question ‘What could we do to support the change in the National Curriculum to include teaching on climate change?’ was asked during a Community Rail Education Network meeting, members saw it as an opportunity to create a suite of resources to engage Key Stage 2 children in learning about the rail network’s green credentials. From the outset, the Education Network recognised it was important to listen to the views and experiences of the many CRPs who work closely with schools and have developed local materials to support classroom delivery on sustainable transport. Through these conversations, the team realised that there was a need for a high quality, data drive set of teaching materials which could be used independently of a CRP officer being present in the classroom.

With financial support from Cross Country, the project was set in motion. Award-winning creative agency i-Creation created a short animation and PowerPoint presentation to be used both in the classroom and as an activity sheet for students to take home. The resources were fact-checked by Network Rail and the Decarbon8 Research Network, and the character of Daffnee Green was born: an engaging flower who tells the story of what the railways are doing to address climate change and the advantages of swapping car journeys to train to lower carbon emissions.

The materials were launched at the National Railway Museum in October 2022 and featured on a Learn Live UK broadcast in September 2023 to over 3,000 viewers. The bank of resources has proved to be an effective, engaging and easy to deliver solution to a gap in the curriculum, putting sustainability at the heart of children’s learning.