Railway uniform charity scheme nominated for top award

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Wednesday, 17 July 2019

Railway uniform charity scheme nominated for top award

A charitable initiative which saw West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway staff donate their old uniforms to charity has been nominated for a top business award.

Following the introduction of new uniforms to more than 2,000 staff, over ten tonnes of items including shirts, trousers and coats were passed on to The Salvation Army to reuse.

The incredible success of the scheme has now been honoured with a nomination in the Corporate Social Responsibility category at the Birmingham Post Business Awards.

Donated items with logos, such as suit jackets and trousers, were de-branded and made available by The Salvation Army Trading Company's charity shops to those who need them most. Other items were shredded and made into carpets, insulation, cushions or even the stuffing for car seats.

Andy Camp, commercial director for London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway, said: “By donating old uniforms to The Salvation Army, we wanted to give something back to the communities we serve, whilst ensuring as many items as possible were recycled. The response from our staff was fantastic and this award nomination recognises our efforts in diverting over ten tonnes of unused clothing away from landfill.”

Kirk Bradley, head of corporate partnerships from The Salvation Army Trading Company, said: "This partnership has been a great success which has enabled The Salvation Army to help West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway staff to responsibly recycle their excess uniforms. By diverting over ten tonnes from landfill we raised funds to help the vital work of The Salvation Army in supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged people."

Meanwhile, Malvern Link station, operated by West Midlands Railway, has been nominated for a prestigious National Rail Award in the Small Station of the Year category. In the same awards, Northampton station, operated by London Northwestern Railway, has earned a nomination in the Large Station of the Year category.

London Northwestern Railway dispatcher Scott Nickels, based at London Euston, has been nominated for a National Rail Award in the Outstanding Personal Contribution category for providing assistance to a seriously ill passenger.

Both the Birmingham Post Business Awards and National Rail Awards take place in September 2019 when the winners will be crowned.

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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