The RailStaff Awards 2024

Carys Thomas

Great Western Trains

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Samyutha Balasubramaniam

Said the following about Carys Thomas:

“Carys is a leading light in GWR's Charity and Community involvement. Her passion for improving local communities, connecting with people and providing her time and energy is simply inspiring.

Carys has worked tirelessly with the local community in Bristol to enhance our railway stations, as well as inspire young people to use and perhaps start careers on the railway network.

This year, Carys was awarded business mentor of the year by Envision for her work with Colston Girls School. Envision, a charity based in Bristol, helps underprivileged teenagers to develop key skills and confidence essential for the work place environment. Research undertaken by Envision has determined that four interactions between young people and business leaders leads to greater success and confidence in the work place. Acting as a role model to the girls, Carys helped the group to campaign to eliminate gender stereotypes in careers as well as identify how careers advice for young people was perhaps preventing people for choosing the right career path. This also ties in with GWR's ambition to address the gender pay gap and promote women in rail. As part of this work Carys organised for the groups to promote their message at stations on the Severn Beach line, as well as conduct interactive workshops on several train journeys to gain valuable insight. The impact of this campaign meant that the girls were able to appear on BBC radio, as well as conduct several meetings with local community groups to identify how the work could continue once the project ended. Not only has this work really benefited the young people, but through Cary’s initiative has helped to highlight to the travelling public our connections with the communities we serve. The group from Colston Girls School was so successful that they came first and second in the Envision Community Apprentice Competition

Working with the Severn Beach Community Rail Groups, Carys has also helped to improve the look and feel of Montpelier Railway Station. This station was prone to graffiti tagging. The local rail partnership’s experience has taught us that where quality street art is commissioned it brightens up the station, as well as being respected and left alone by vandals. This means the station feels a much safer and more welcoming place. In partnership with Dolphin School, it was arranged that a 50 metre graffiti art mural would be painted to promote Crime Stoppers.

Carys also put together a successful business case for GWR to partner with LifeSkills Centre in Bristol. Whilst GWR was delivering approximately 5,000 safety talks to young people, it was determined that by partnering with LifeSkills, safety talks could be delivered to a minimum of 10,000 children, adults with learning difficulties and those with a disability. By promoting community engagement, Carys' work to identify this resource now means the safety critical messages are delivered to a wider audience, therefore having a wider benefit to GWR and the Rail industry.

Carys is also a key part of GWR's Women in Rail forum, organising visits to Driver Simulators, engaging with schools and universities, attending career fairs - all in her own time - to promote rail as a career, especially for women.

She is also part of Young Rail Professionals and is an Ambassador Manager for the Western Region. Her latest work with Bristol's Department for Work and Pensions has seen the organisation of an employability day - this involves a morning of CV writing, managing their online presence, interview skills with mock interviews and the afternoon involves some shadowing of frontline colleagues at Bristol station.

Some of her other achievements are:

- Worked with Severnside on a number of projects – volunteering to help paint the mural at Montpellier in conjunction with CrimeStoppers, volunteering to build self-sustaining wood pallet planters for the Avonmouth gardens in conjunction with young offenders

- Set up a partnership between GWR and Lifeskills increasing our rail safety delivery from just below 5,000 to 12,000 annually through interactive live scenarios

- Set up a railway group within Colston girls school to work together to better our engagement with the school, its students and to encourage travel on the Severn beach lines

- Set up a work experience program for adults with learning disabilities at Bristol Temple Meads, partnering with sixteen coop and Bristol city council to develop their employability skills and confidence

- Set up regular STEM visits with local universities and schools to increase their interest in the railway

- Attended a number of careers events and open days to encourage engagement and roles we have at GWR

- collated over 50 female railworkers journeys into the railway with advice for those seeking employment in a bid to gain interest from females in to our industry and showcase the variety of roles currently held by females. It is hoped that this will also encourage progression within the industry

- Volunteered and attended a number of Pride events alongside Network Rail, working on a local level to support the trans community following a trans attack at a previous Pride. Engaging with staff on the ground to get involved.

- Volunteered time to assist with essay writing and referencing skills for individuals completing management degrees

- Delivered the work shadowing placements for Princes Trust program locally in 2016 and 2017 - this charity helps young people who find it difficult to get into employment

- Developed contacts within universities, working to enhance our visibility to STEM students

Carys is unstoppable, and I strongly feel she should be celebrated for everything she does. She has improved so many lives with her work.“