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“SWR’s volunteer team of Community Ambassadors have spent the last 14 months bringing their passion for the railway to a whole new set of people, helping to break down the barriers to train travel.
Over this time, the team has grown 44% above SWR’s commitment, delivering over 100% more Try the Train trips than planned to non-rail users.
The Try the Train experiences are aimed at individuals and groups who do not have the confidence to travel on the railway. Each trip is organised with one of the Ambassadors as a point of contact, and that individual diligently works to develop and adapt a structure - which the team created themselves - to the needs of the new travellers. Every trip includes a tour of SWR’s station facilities, a short train trip to a destination of the group’s choosing, as well as any extra support participants need.
Once the plan is agreed, the details are shared with the rest of the team and hands start to fly up with offers to assist. In total, 112 days of support have been provided by the Ambassadors, which has meant every trip had more than one member of the team involved.
Along the way SWR’s enthusiastic and approachable team, drawn from every part of SWR’s business, have shared their knowledge to help develop confidence in those who are unfamiliar with travelling by train. The Ambassadors have put a smile on many faces as groups and individuals learn that the railway is more accessible than they believed.
At the beginning of the franchise SWR set out to deliver four Try the Train trips each quarter, however, due to the dedication and determination of the team, 41 events have now been delivered to a wide range of groups. Participants have included school children, youth groups, senior citizens, those with visual impairments, individuals facing mobility challenges, new mothers, disadvantaged youngsters, adults with learning disabilities, and even trainee assistance dogs.
The feedback SWR has received has been overwhelming positive. Here is some of the feedback from people and group that have tried the train:
“It was a great morning discovering what is available to help and assist using trains. It really boosted the young man’s confidence of independent travel and he’s looking forward to putting this in place. We start tomorrow.â€
“All of the Community Ambassadors were a genuine credit to you and South Western Railway. They were enthusiastic and engaging, but also insightful and informative. They went out of their way to answer the children’s questions about the railway. They were genuinely interested, giving lots of time for questions. A ramp was provided at Portsmouth Harbour and the children were made to feel very special on arrival!
“They were provided with a range of opportunities at the station including pushing the 'Help Point' button, purchasing tickets from the ticket machine and ticket office! As we returned to school, I heard the children describing it as, ‘The best trip ever’, (setting the bar very high for future school outings) which is testament to the hard work, dedication, commitment and attitude of the Community Ambassadors.â€
"This is an invaluable opportunity for individuals with a disability to develop confidence and independence using trains and understanding how they operate. Both Ambassadors where professional, friendly and knowledgeable. Thank you so much to them for their time and effort. It has made a real difference.â€
The team come from across different functions and all this work is undertaken in addition to their normal role. Not only are they willing to share their knowledge with potential travellers, they also support each other. Station staff and guards have swapped information to help with trips, whilst members of head office are learning more about the frontline and how they can better support passengers in their own roles.
The Ambassadors have gone way beyond our expectations and there is no sign that their impact is going to lessen, as they continue to learn from each other, share experiences and put those without confidence to use trains at the front of their efforts.
Further examples of Try the Train experiences (SWR press releases):
Teaming-up to help those living with dementia to ‘Try the Train’
SWR’s Community Ambassadors teamed up East Hampshire Community Rail Partnership (CRP) to help members of Dementia Friendly Petersfield rekindle old memories and improve their confidence in using rail services with a ‘Try the Train’ experience.
Read more here: https://www.southwesternrailway.com/other/news-and-media/news/2019/august/teaming-up-to-help-those-living-with-dementia-to-try-the-train
South Western Railway and community rail partners prepare youngsters for secondary school
South Western Railway joined its newest Community Rail Partnership, Surrey Hills to South Downs, to provide a unique ‘Try the Train’ experience and prepare Year 6 pupils for secondary school.
Sixty children from St Bartholomew's Church of England Primary School, Haslemere, were delighted when volunteer Community Ambassadors, dropped in to speak about travelling by train.
Read more here: https://www.southwesternrailway.com/other/news-and-media/news/2019/july/south-western-railway-and-community-rail-partners-prepare-youngsters-for-secondary-school
'Visual impairment should not be a barrier to independent travel'
A visual impairment should not be a barrier to travel, so the latest ‘Try the Train’ trip was an opportunity for a young, registered blind man to become a confident, independent traveller on the railway.
Read more here: https://www.southwesternrailway.com/other/news-and-media/news/2019/march/visual-impairment-should-not-be-a-barrier-to-independent-travel
"The best trip ever" - Red Barn Primary School ‘Try the Train’ with South Western Railway
Children from Red Barn Primary School became the latest group to ‘Try the Train’ with South Western Railway’s (SWR) Community Ambassadors.
Read more here: https://southwesternrailway.com/other/news-and-media/news/2019/march/red-barn-primary-school-try-the-train-with-south-western-railway
Sholing Brownies Try the Train with South Western Railway
South Western Railway’s (SWR) volunteer Community Ambassador gave youngsters from Sholing the chance to develop their confidence with the railway, as part of the company’s dedicated Community Ambassador programme.
Read more here: https://www.southwesternrailway.com/other/news-and-media/news/2018/november/sholing-brownies-try-the-train-with-south-western-railway“
“This team has gone above and beyond on what they do daily. They set the highest standards on all what they do. Amazing team !!!!“
“Just wanted to say how much we enjoyed the awards night on Saturday, it was a fantastic event and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves.”
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