Reclaiming the railway: Group of 25 older people make special journey along North Yorkshire coastline to regain ‘travel confidence’

Organised by the Friends of Hunmanby Railway Station and hosted by the train operator Northern in partnership with Yorkshire Coast Community Rail Partnership, the journey was designed to help break down perceived barriers to accessing the rail network and learn about the different types of tickets.

Organisers of the visit hope events like this will also help tackle loneliness in coastal communities by providing an opportunity for participants to meet other older people from the local area.

Kerry Peters, regional director for Northern, said: “This was a great opportunity to demonstrate the accessibility of our services and help re-build the group’s confidence in using the railway.”

Rachel Osborne, Yorkshire Coast Community Rail Partnership secretary, said: "We are proud to support initiatives like this which help bring people together, tackle loneliness and build confidence in using the railway.

"Many thanks to the 'Friends of Hunmanby Railway Station' for arranging this trip."

Age UK has published a report to highlight five key areas where action is needed to support older people. They are:

• Loneliness and social isolation
• The digital divide
• A lack of support networks among people who move to rural and coastal communities.
• Gaps in public transport provision
• Gaps in support for carers and people with dementia

It is hoped activity like the ‘travel confidence’ day out will help tackle these issues. 

For more information about the Age UK report ‘Ageing in coastal and rural communities’ click here.

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.