Thu 21 Mar 2024
We Won!
Platform’s ‘This Mighty Traveller’ initiative scooped 1st prize in the Empowering Diverse Groups category at the Community Rail Awards 2024 in Swansea.
To date, 507 students from 21 specialist provisions across the Joint Community Rail Education Programme’s five CRPs (Gloucestershire, Severnside, South Wessex, TransWilts and Worcestershire) have travelled by train. And this figure continues to rise as word-of-mouth means more and more special schools are reaching out to Platform, keen to offer their students the opportunity to develop their lifeskills in the context of a safe, well-organised, fun and empowering rail experience.
Read all about our This Mighty Traveller project here: This Mighty Traveller – Platform (platformrail.org)
The whole Platform team, including its original Learning Development Manager Emilie Dawson – who was instrumental in bringing the idea of ‘This Mighty Traveller’ into existence – was over the moon to win this award. Empowering diverse groups forms a very special part of their offer, and working with special schools – both in terms of facilitating in-school workshops and taking groups out on the train – is something in which they have all being directly involved. Platform would like to thank all the wonderful special schools that have embraced their ‘This Mighty Traveller’ scheme and worked closely with them to ensure that their students have as positive and empowering an experience of rail travel as possible .
And it didn’t stop there.
Platform was also awarded 2nd place in the Involving Children and Young People category for ‘Interchange’, a joint project with Worcestershire CRP, Worcester Cathedral and several other organisations around the issue of county lines. The end result was a film entitled ‘Which Side of the Tracks’, which served as a powerful stimulus to start the conversation, and accompanying teaching resources that delved deeper into the issues it raised.
Knowing that ‘Interchange’ has helped reach a wider audience on this important societal issue, not only educating them about the existence and nature of county lines but, perhaps more importantly, how we can work together to disrupt the chain and prevent children being exploited in this way, was rewarding enough for Platform; to have the project recognised by the CRA judging panel is the icing on the cake. Here is a link to the film and resources on Platform’s website: https://platformrail.org/resources/which-side-of-the-tracks/
“We are thrilled to have been awarded 2nd place for our Interchange project. We hope the award will serve to raise wider awareness of this criminal activity and, most importantly, show how we can all work together to prevent children being exploited in this way.”
Fiona Saxon, Worcestershire Community Rail Partnership Officer
Both of Platform’s wins were made all the more special by the fact that they were presented on a night where community rail took centre stage. Throughout Monday night’s ceremony, the mutual appreciation was in abundance. The Platform team took great pleasure and inspiration from hearing about all the wonderful projects that have been taking place across the country, but – understandably – their cheers were loudest when it came to awards being won by members of their own steering group, including the Outstanding Contribution to Community Rail for Gloucestershire CRP, in recognition of their inspirational initiatives in the past year, and the Board’s Special Recognition Award for Heather Cullimore (Partnership Manager of Severnside CRP and member of Platform’s steering group), in recognition of her exceptional service to, and the championing of, community rail. Without Heather, Platform would not exist and her unwavering support, belief in what they offer, and commitment to doing all she can to secure funding so their work can continue is just one example of her dedication to community rail.
With the book ‘Arlo’s Adventures: There and Back’ such a hit with all the primary school children they take out on the train, the Platform team was especially delighted to see the Community Rail Education Network triumph in the ‘Most Effective Communications Campaign’ category. Here’s author and illustrator Bessie Matthews with Platform’s Learning Development Manager, Imogen Sackett.
Whilst immensely proud to have won their two awards, Platform would not be able to do what they do without their partners: GWR, Cross Country and The Community Rail Network. Thanks to their generous funding, special initiatives such as ‘This Mighty Traveller’, along with all Platform’s work in the mainstream sector, is carried out at no cost to the schools. Long may it continue.
“The work of the rail education team is simply outstanding and they are professional in all they do. The school-based sessions were very skilfully adapted to children with special needs and the resources and ‘hands on’ activities made the sessions as fun as they were educational. All my staff reported how much the children learnt about railways and rail safety and then to experience a train trip in ‘real life’ was wonderful. I can recommend this wonderful organisation and essential life skill intervention to all schools without reservation.”
Kevin Day, Headteacher at Belmont Special School
