South Western Railway (SWR) has announced new charity partners for the next two years. SWR staff were asked to nominate local charities across the network which they wanted to support, and one was selected in each region.
The announcement follows SWR becoming the first train operator to partner with Missing People UK in late 2021. The national partnership sees SWR staff receiving notification on missing people and supporting reunite loved ones.
As part of the new charity partnerships, Missing People UK has also become an official charity partner of SWR at a network-wide level.
SWR will work with the charities on a local level to provide the best support for them while raising awareness of their respective causes via a range of ways including donations, advertising space, volunteering time, collaborative events, and collections.
Staff chose the following organisations as the operator’s new charity partners:
- Missing People UK – works to unite missing people with their loved ones across the UK. SWR has recently signed up to the charity’s Safeguarding Briefing Network, becoming the first train operator to receive live missing person alerts. Those alerts are then sent to SWR’s frontline colleagues who can be on the look-out for these vulnerable people.
- Ace of Clubs – a family-like community centre which provides transformative support for homeless, vulnerable, and otherwise marginalised people in the area by linking them to a range of services, including accommodation, rehab, welfare, and many others.
- SERV Surrey and London – a network of volunteers who provide an urgent 24-hour blood delivery services at no cost to the NHS.
- The Alex Wardle Foundation – set up by Steve Wardle a Rail Community Officer at SWR, in memory of his son Alex who passed away from Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome, the charity aims to support research to further understand SADS and prevent deaths from the condition. SWR already works closely with the foundation and this year hopes to further expand its support.
- Baby Necessities Baby Bank – a bank providing new and pre-loved items to families in need to alleviate child poverty and promote the reuse of items.
“I’m proud of the five new charity partnerships we’re announcing today, because they show how our staff truly care for the communities they serve,” said Amy Dickinson, Head of Sustainability at South Western Railway.
“Across our network we are always looking to do more, and through these local partnerships we will support the important work each charity does to help people in these challenging times.”
For more information on SWR’s charitable work, visit www.southwesternrailway.com/other/about-us/charity.
Image credit: South Western Railway
