Wendy Whiteley

Said the following about Sara Elliot:

“Sara Elliot is a Train Presentation Operative with Northern Trains based at Leeds Station. On 1st August 2022 we received the following from one of our colleagues at TransPennine Express -

, “I just wanted to write you a quick email just to say I saw something today from one of your employees that you should be really proud of. Today on platform 12, there was a distressed autistic passenger who clearly was not comfortable in her environment. She was waiting for the Plymouth service 1V56 around 1200.

This passenger was screaming, crying, and causing a bit of disturbance. This caused other passengers to look concerned, and it even made me come out of the office to see what the commotion was! Upon arriving at the platform I was pleased to see your staff member (I believe that it was Sarah? Purplish/Red hair) comforting the passenger. She took her for a walk so she could get used to her surroundings. She also kept her well-informed about when the train was coming so she could take a picture as this made her happy. She even helped the lady onto the train, sitting her in her own seat and putting her bags away as she clearly wasn't capable of doing this herself.

All these little actions really calmed the customer and the situation down while helping her get on her way. Sarah looked a little flustered afterwards so I said to her to get a cup of tea but she was very work-focused and wanted to get along with her job.

What I saw today was a true worker and someone who was very customer focused making a difference to everyone. Her actions have really made someone's day without her realising. My customer service motto is "some stranger somewhere still remembers you because you were kind to them when no one else was", and Sarah really did this today.”

I think this shows that no matter what role you fulfill on the railway, Customer Service is everybody's responsibility. Sara has demonstrated this in a fantastic way and deserves recognition.“