20 Years of Community Rail Awards!

We are delighted to announce that our 20^th anniversary Community Rail Awards will take place on Thursday 13 March 2025, at Newcastle Civic Centre, closely supported by our headline partner Lumo, and other industry sponsors.

Highly respected throughout the industry, our prestigious Awards are all about celebrating the passion, commitment, innovation, and best practice in community rail, recognising the volunteers, groups and partnerships doing wonderful work on behalf of their communities and railways. They give community rail the chance to shine, showcasing the array of work happening across Britain, and showing influencers and decision makers what community rail achieves.

This milestone Awards will also align with the celebrations of Railway 200.

Fringe Activities – bringing added value to your Awards experience. You may want to book a few days in the region!

We’re delighted to share that, courtesy of our headline partner Lumo, there will be a complimentary ‘Pre-Awards Welcome event’ on the evening of Weds 12 March. Full details are still to be confirmed,  so please watch this space for updates on this event and how to book your place.

Alongside our Awards gala event, there will be opportunities to visit many heritage, railway and cultural attractions and places of interest

The regional CRPs, Tyne Valley CRP, Bishop Line CRP, and Esk Valley Railway, will be showcasing community rail in the North-East.  This is a great chance for UK-wide colleagues to see first-hand, the wonderful work our north-eastern CRPs do supporting their communities and their railway.

Read, in more detail, about the added value supporting ‘Fringe Activities’ on offer HERE

Updates on additional activities will be revealed over the coming months, so keep an eye in Community Rail News, and on this page for updates.

Milestone Dates for your diary:

• Gala Dinner Bookings OPEN – Monday 2 September. Download a booking form HERE
• Entries CLOSE – Monday 30 September
• Shortlist published – Weds 11 December – live on website,  announced in Community Rail News and emailed to all shortlistees
• Gala Dinner Booking CLOSE – Friday 14 February

Attendance Subsidy Fund

We are very grateful to our Sponsors and Donors, whose support enables us to once again offer an Attendance Subsidy for community rail shortlistees, to help them attend the event in Newcastle (please note the fund is limited and awarded to shortlisted entrants only, on a first-come-first-served basis)

Complimentary Rail Travel

We’re  incredibly grateful that Rail Delivery Group is once again providing support, in the form of complimentary return rail passes for all member shortlistees to travel to Newcastle.

After the shortlist is published on 11 December, all shortlistees will be provided with application forms for the Attendance Subsidy Fund and the complimentary rail tickets.