19 Mar 2024
Some of our excellent community-led initiatives have been recognised at the 19th Community Rail Awards this week.
The event, organised by Community Rail Network and jointly sponsored by TfW and GWR, was held in Swansea for the first time and co-hosted by our very own Marie Daly, Chief Customer & Culture Officer. Over 400 guests attended the awards, including senior rail and transport leaders, community rail officers and volunteers.
It recognised projects supporting diversity, accessibility and inclusion, sustainable travel and tourism, youth and school engagement, community-led station improvements, empowered communities and influencing positive change, with a focus on using creativity and story-telling to inspire sustainable journeys by rail and empower young people.
Three innovative projects led by our associated community rail partnership from across the network were shortlisted at the awards:
- Cambrian Railway Partnership scooped the Tourism and Leisure Award for their bi-lingual ‘Window Seater’ project, which shares geolocated, audio stories along the route, drawing on local histories and insights. It connects passengers to the world outside the train window and aims to inspire more greener journeys by rail.
- Conwy Valley and North West Wales Community Rail Partnership were shortlisted for their work involving children and young people with an art project at Conwy Station, encouraging young people to feel a sense of ownership and positivity towards the station and railway.
The same partnership was also shortlisted for the Influencing Positive Change and Sustainability award with their ‘Confidence to Travel’ videos. Aimed at people with non-visible disabilities, the videos give what to expect when using a bus or train and where to find additional help and support.
More than 50% of the rail network across Wales is supported by community rail partnerships, station friends volunteers and other community rail groups. Their activities are shown to play a powerful role in supporting Welsh policy priorities to encourage and enable sustainable, inclusive travel and mobility.
Jools Townsend, chief executive of Community Rail Network, said:“We were delighted to this year hold our Community Rail Awards in Wales, where community rail continues to grow and thrive.
“Community rail is especially relevant and important at the moment, as Wales seeks to shift towards more sustainable and inclusive transport, to tackle the climate crisis and ensure everyone can access the opportunities they want, and to bring in visitors without the pollution. Our congratulations to all our winners, and thanks to everyone who supports and champions community rail in Wales.”
Marie Daly, Transport for Wales, said: “We were thrilled to co-sponsor this year’s awards in beautiful Swansea and celebrate the amazing work being done across the UK and particularly across our own network.
“We’re so lucky to be able to work with so many amazing communities and organisations through our Community Rail Partnerships and really believe that by connecting and encouraging collaboration among businesses and organisations in local communities, we can empower those communities to work together on a whole range of social, economic, cultural and environmental issues, as well as showcase the best our network has to offer.”
