Railway lost property money donated to charity

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Thursday, 9 May 2019

Railway lost property money donated to charity

Cash left on trains and at stations operated by London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway will now be donated to charity.

The train operators have handed over the first donation of money found as lost property on the rail network to Alzheimer’s Society - the company's staff-nominated charity partner for the year.

Any cash handed in or found by railway staff must be kept for three months to allow the owner to come forward – but if it remains unclaimed beyond this time, the money will now be going to charity on a monthly basis.

The first donation of £1076.70 has been gifted as part of a year long partnership in place with Alzheimer's Society, to improve the experience for rail passengers living with dementia. The train operators and the charity are working together to improve staff training and to use feedback from passengers to make train travel more accessible.

Francis Thomas, head of corporate affairs for London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway, said: “Money is one of the most common things that is picked up as lost property on the rail network – and we want to see this unclaimed money going to a worthwhile cause. As we are supporting Alzheimer’s Society as our staff charity of the year, this is a great opportunity give to the charity financially, in addition to the practical support we are offering to those living with dementia. In the future, we would love to be able to support other worthwhile organisations too, so pledging to put this money to good use is an important step.”

Ryan Stanley, Community Fundraiser for Birmingham said: “We are delighted that money left on trains and in stations operated by London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway will now be donated to Alzheimer’s Society. Dementia devastates lives and Alzheimer’s Society research shows that 850,000 people in the UK have a form of dementia, 70,000 of these people live in the West Midlands. By 2021, one million people will be living with the condition and this will soar to two million by 2051. Dementia deaths are rising year on year and 225,000 will develop dementia this year – that’s one every three minutes.

“The money donated and awareness raised by London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway will help Alzheimer’s Society fund research into the cause, care, cure and prevention of all types of dementia and Alzheimer’s Society is committed to spending at least £150 million on research over the next decade. This includes a £50 million investment in the UK's first dedicated Dementia Research Institute. Until the day we find a cure, Alzheimer's Society will be here for anyone affected by dementia – wherever they are, whatever they're going through.”

Railway staff have also been taking part in special training sessions to become Dementia Friends - with the aim of getting all staff at the train operator's through training over the next year. This is part of a wider initiative to make more railway stations dementia friendly – through looking at what simple changes can be made around stations, as well as improving staff awareness and training.

ENDS

About West Midlands Trains

For further information on this release, call our press office on 03300 955150 or email [email protected]

West Midlands Trains operates both West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway services.

  • London Northwestern Railway services operate between Liverpool and Birmingham, and on the West Coast mainline to and from London Euston.
  • West Midlands Railway services operate to destinations across the West Midlands via Birmingham New Street.

For more information on these services visit westmidlandsrailway.co.uk or londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk

The West Midlands Trains franchise started on 10 December 2017 and will run until 2025/26.

West Midlands Trains operates 1,300 services a day, manages 150 stations and provides over 70 million passenger journeys a year. Over the course of the franchise, West Midlands Trains will be investing £1 billion into the rail network to deliver new trains, improved routes and station upgrades. This will include 400 new train carriages across the network and space for an extra 85,000 passengers into Birmingham and London at peak times.

The franchise is a joint venture between Abellio (70.1% share) and East Japan Railway Company / Mitsui & Co., Ltd (29.9% share in a 50:50 split). Abellio is the international passenger transport subsidiary of the Dutch national railway company, Nederlandse Spoorwegen. In the UK, Abelllio operates ScotRail and Greater Anglia train services, Merseyrail services in a joint venture with Serco and buses through Abellio London. For more information visit www.abellio.com

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