Northern hails community groups who sweep the board at awards night

Community Rail Partnerships and Station Adoption Groups, supported by Northern, claimed 12 of the 17 national awards on offer – highlighting Northern’s commitment to working with the people and communities it serves.

Recognition went to a range of innovative social inclusion projects Northern supports such as the dementia friendly Bentham Line, Stand Clear of the Closet Doors (an LGBTQ+ awareness campaign for young people in Lancashire and parts of Yorkshire and Greater Manchester), Broken Lives Mended (embedding rail in a structured programme of recovery from drug and alcohol abuse), and Dwell Time (raising awareness of mental health and wellbeing). 

Julie Gibbon from Tyne Valley Community Rail Partnership won Outstanding Volunteer and Mytholmroyd Station Partnership scooped the top prize of the Outstanding Contribution to Community Rail.

Northern winners on the night were:

• Involving Young People – Community Rail Lancashire for Stand Clear of the Closet Doors
  • 2^nd place – Hope Academy, Merseytravel and Northern for History Making History on Chat Moss Line
• Involving Diverse Groups – Cumbrian Coast Line Community Rail Partnership for Broken Lives Mended
  • 2^nd place – Community Rail Lancashire for On Track to Train
• Community Art Schemes (permanent/larger projects) – Friends of Rose Hill Station for Intergenerational Community Art Project
  • 3^rd place – Friends of Irlam Station for Park Rust and Steel Artwork
• Community Art Schemes (Renewable and Smaller) – Penistone Line Partnership for Dwell Time
• Small Projects (under £500) – Community Rail Lancashire for Bringing Sunshine to Morecambe
• Influencing Positive Change – Leeds, Lancashire and Morecambe Community Rail Partnership for Dementia and Community Rail
  • 2^nd place – Friends of Handforthfor A 20-year Dream of Step-Free Access is Coming True
  • 3^rd place - North Notts and Lincolnshire Community Rail Partnership for Gainsborough Central Station’s new hourly Monday to Saturday service
• Photo Competition – Friends of Goostrey Station for Enjoying a Break During Volunteer Working Party
• Outstanding Volunteer Contribution – Julie Gibbon of Tyne Valley Community Rail Partnership
• It’s Your Station Platinum – Friends of Hindley
• It’s Your Station Silver – Action Stations (Bingley & Crossflatts)
• It’s Your Station Bronze – Driffield in Bloom
• Outstanding Contribution to CR over past 12 months – Mytholmroyd Station Partnership

Carolyn Watson, Community and Sustainability Director at Northern, said: “It really was a fantastic showcase of the range of projects our community partners deliver and the positive difference these make for our customers, potential passengers and the wider communities we serve.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has given their time and hard work in making our community partnerships and projects such a resounding success, and for helping make the Northern network so inclusive and innovative.

“I cannot overstress Northern’s commitment to its community partnerships and I look forward to seeing these develop further over the next 12 months.”