Students from Coleman Training Development have made a colourful mark on the Clitheroe Line with the launch of their vibrant rail safety artwork, thanks to support from Community Rail Lancashire as part of the Travelling with Confidence programme.
The Travelling with Confidence programme, grant-funded by the Motability Foundation, has helped students boost their independence, travel skills and understanding of rail safety, with many of them progressing onto work placements which they can now confidently travel to by rail.
Since the programme launched in January 2025, the four core delivery partners – Community Rail Lancashire, GOCRP (Gloucestershire CRP and Oxfordshire CRP), Severnside CRP, and Southeast Communities Rail Partnership – have developed relationships with more than 50 community groups and disabled people’s organisations across the UK, with 72% of them reporting that they intend to continue planning rail trips with the people they support.
To celebrate what they’d learned on their rail confidence trips with Community Rail Lancashire, the students from Coleman Training Development worked with artist Gloria Helibron to turn their ideas into bold, eye‑catching designs promoting safety, awareness and positivity across the railway. Their colourful messages shaped by their own experiences as emerging confident travellers.
The students’ artwork is now on display in station noticeboards along the Clitheroe Line, from Burnley Manchester Road to Blackburn. The young people even planned another train trip to Blackburn to go bowling and were delighted to see their artwork displayed publicly for the very first time.
Catherine Kingdom, community rail education development officer with Community Rail Lancashire, said: “[This project] was all about giving young people an opportunity to express what they’ve learned about rail safety in a way that’s accessible for them and in a format they can be excited about to share with their peers.”
Ellen Cameron, Community Rail Network’s Travelling with Confidence programme coordinator, said: “The excitement on the students’ – and staff members’ – faces was unmistakable as they spotted their designs. This project is a brilliant example of true co‑production, where students chose how to demonstrate their learning and understanding through approaches that feel meaningful and relevant to them.”
Learn more about the Travelling with Confidence programme here.