Community Rail Week is a chance for everyone connected with community rail to get involved in celebrating the theme. As a community rail partnership, there are many ways to take part throughout the week – and involvement doesn’t have to mean hosting a physical event.

Activities can be online or in person, from digital promotions and storytelling to campaigns, partnerships and local initiatives. Every contribution, big or small, helps bring Community Rail Week to life and increases its reach and impact.

Below you’ll find helpful suggestions that outline practical ways you can get involved, with examples to inspire participation. An important part of your activity should be measuring impact as this can help you demonstrate your value to key stakeholders and decision makers. For more information about how you can measure the success of your activity, please contact Alice.

How your community rail partnership can get involved

Host local events

• Organise station-based events or activities in the wider community that celebrate inclusion and connection.
• Deliver events at local attractions, shopping centres, libraries or community venues to showcase your work and reach audiences who may not regularly use the train.
• Use Community Rail Week as an opportunity to launch new accessibility and inclusion initiatives or to share commitments and plans for future projects.
• Consider ‘meet the team’ sessions, accessibility tours with local groups, drop-in information stands or storytelling workshops that highlight local journeys and experiences.

Partner with local groups

• Collaborate with disability charities, diversity networks or community organisations to co-host activities or share resources.
• Invite them to contribute stories to share online or join your event(s).

Engage with media

• Pitch local press stories about how your group is making rail more inclusive.
• Offer interviews with spokespeople or individuals whose journeys have been transformed.

Create social media content

• Use the campaign hashtags #JourneysForAll & #CommunityRailWeek to amplify your involvement in the campaign.
• Post photos of inclusive facilities, diverse communities and volunteers making a difference.
• Share quotes from passengers about why their journey matters

Share inspiring stories

• Highlight real-life stories of passengers, volunteers or staff whose journeys have made a difference, especially those from underrepresented groups or who’ve benefited from accessibility improvements.
• Use blogs, social media posts or short videos to bring these stories to life.

Showcase inclusive projects

• Promote projects delivered in the past that break down barriers, such as accessibility upgrades, Motability partnerships or community initiatives.
• Share before-and-after photos or short clips showing the impact through social media or featured on your website.

Promote accessible travel tips

• Share practical advice for travelling by rail with accessibility needs.
• Create downloadable guides or short videos for social media, with advice local to your area. This could include a video that shows the facilities and how to navigate stations along your line to help build confidence for passengers in advance of travelling.

Celebrate volunteers

• Community Rail Week coincides with Volunteers’ Week, providing an additional opportunity to celebrate volunteering in your area:
  • Spotlight volunteers who help make rail travel welcoming and accessible.
  • Share their stories on social media or in your newsletter.
  • Host a ‘thank you’ event with your volunteers to give appreciation to the passion and dedication they bring to the area.
• Consider using Community Rail Week to promote the work your volunteers do at the station, helping to raise awareness and recruit new volunteers.

Tell us about your activity

Planning something for Community Rail Week? Let us know!

Sharing details of your activities helps us celebrate and promote your work through our communications and media activity, and include it on our interactive Community Rail Week map, launching in May.

Whether you’re hosting an event, running an online promotion or sharing stories and local activity, tell us what you’re doing so we can help amplify your impact and showcase the breadth of activity across the network.

Email details of your plans to alice@communityrail.org.uk

Get in touch

For more advice or to discuss how your community rail partnership can get involved in Community Rail Week, specific to your area, contact Alice, campaigns & communications manager.