Community rail partnerships and station adoption groups are encouraged to support their local young people to enter the award-winning rail safety competition, Backtrack: create it, share it, save lives, which highlights the dangers of trespassing on the railway.

The competition, now in its fifth year, is organised by the Community Rail Education Network. Entrants are tasked with creating a simple but powerful message, to make others aware of the dangers of trespassing on the railway and to encourage them to stop.

Entrants in the two categories (primary – under 11, and secondary – ages 11-18) can either upload their entries online or send them in the post. There are some great prizes up for grabs, including rail cards, digital drawing tablets, action cameras, podcast recording equipment and much more.

Backtrack has also teamed up with Rail Safe Friendly and Rail Safety Week to choose some amazing content created by young people to feature in a special broadcast that will be shown during Rail Safety Week (16-22 June 2025). 

All entries must be submitted by 23:59 on Monday 31 March.

Full details and resources including entry forms, pledge cards and teaching materials can be found on the Backtrack website.

If your group would like some activity and entry sheets and pencils to use with your groups of young people, please contact Karen Bennett.