Recruitment
“For the last four years Nicola Garwood, 36, has worked as a ‘Welcome Host’ at Norwich station.
Day to day she staffs the Information Desk, providing help and information to passengers, and she assists people who need help boarding and alighting trains.
It’s a part time role as Nicola has two young children at home, but that hasn’t stopped her from turning the job into something very special, leading her manager James Reeve to describe her as ‘one in a million’.
Nicola has recently lead the team at Norwich in raising £10,000 for charity this year and organises a wide range of fundraising events helping worthy causes such as Macmillan Cancer Relief, Comic Relief, Sarcoma UK and The British Heart Foundation to name but a few. Nicola recently organised a closed bid opportunity to cab-ride within a class 37 top and tail passenger service in the East Anglia region, which was a very rare opportunity for the successful bidders. This raised a considerable amount of money for charity and was an excellent experience for the winners.
She has also started up Dementia Awareness and Autism Awareness events to help train staff and improve Greater Anglia’s service to people with these conditions.
Her enthusiasm, commitment and huge heart have led to a nomination for Employee of the Year at Greater Anglia’s forthcoming ‘Everyday Legends Awards’ to be held later this year.
Nicola has worked in the rail industry for 17 years working a range of customer service roles, starting as an on board catering assistant before progressing to Ticket Office Supervisor at Norwich, and she has also taken roles at Norwich Crown Point Depot and Rosters. Nicola clearly is an all-rounder and always thinks of others first.
Nicola says, “I absolutely love my job. It’s focused on helping people, which is what I love to do.
“At Norwich we help around 60 people every day to get on and off trains. I think the new Pass Assist app is going to make their experience even better, giving them extra confidence about travelling, removing the need for advance booking in many cases, and improving communication.
“It’s also going to help staff by removing the paperwork and helping us easily identify who needs help and where exactly they are on the train or station, so we can give a better service.â€
“It’s going to be a step-change in the level of customer service we can offer to passengers who need extra assistance when travelling and I’m excited to be part of the trial that will improve people’s lives when travelling on the rail network†.“
“Nicola really cannot do enough to help those around her. She has initiated many events over the years, championing events at Norwich Station for a number of different charities. From bake sales and farmers' markets to animals setting up shop on the station, there's always something new and exciting round the corner!
Nicola has been instrumental in raising £10,000 at Norwich for charities this year; no mean feat considering she works part time.
As a team and company we couldn't be more proud of Nicola and the work she has put in, often in her spare time. She has a creative flair that adds a spark to every event and occasion through the year which customers and staff enjoy.“
“Thank you so very much for an amazing evening last night. We all had a really great time and the tremendous hard work that you all went to, to stage such an event, with such careful attention to detail, was not unnoticed. Well done. Thank you so much too for the award and the cheque! I am not unmindful of the fact that there are hundreds of men and women across the railway industry that are equally deserving. Special tribute to those lone workers who work at single staffed stations who's commitment and dedication so often goes unnoticed. Again many thanks.”
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