Avanti West Coast in the community

Every connection counts!

Each of our stations is a gateway to a community. So, we get to know the people who we matter to most. By listening, we’ve found that there are key issues where we can help out, and where possible – we'll get right behind.

Our Customer & Communities Improvement Fund

Applications are now open for CCIF funding. The closing date for applications is 23:59 on 10 January 2025.

What is our Customer & Communities Improvement Fund?

The Customer & Communities Improvement Fund is in place to support schemes across the Avanti West Coast route. We are looking for ideas that bring benefits to our stations (or a station that we serve) and the communities surrounding them which address regeneration challenges and social needs.

Proposed projects / schemes should be located within 10 miles of one of our stations or a station that we serve where there is an identified social need. Which outlines how the project will work with the community to mitigate the social need and therefore help to create a more inclusive, prosperous, and connected community.

The maximum amount that can be applied for is £10,000, each application will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis noting successful projects must be completed within the financial year (April to March), in which the funding is gifted.

If you have any questions about a CCIF application, please contact the respective Regional Growth Manager (contact details are listed in the CCIF guide) or through the CCIF inbox community@avantiwestcoast.co.uk

Find out more about CCIF

Helping Out

On the lookout for local? So are we.

We're working closely with communities up and down the line to support local projects and events with complimentary advertising space.

We're part of your community and you're part of ours. If you need our support for a charity or community event or if you are a registered charity and want to collect at one of our stations, just click the relevant links below.

Apply to advertise Charity and community support Charity collections at our stations

Sustainability Action Plans

We're committed to making a difference today, to look after tomorrow.

We stand for positive change and bring that to life at our stations and offices with dedicated Community and Green Champions. Our Champions have built Sustainability Action Plans to ensure we protect our planet, with our people at its heart, setting new standards for our customers and improving life in our communities.

Each plan is individual to its location and will showcase how our activities and projects can deliver social and environmental benefits including:

• Ensuring there is customer facing community boards to promote local events

• Enhancing biodiversity through garden and planting projects in conjunction with our Community Rail Partnerships (CRP’s)

• Working up schemes to fund raise for local charities

• Creating a site waste plan to improve recycling rates

• Looking at ways to reduce energy consumption, like better controls on heaters

The United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have helped shape how our Champions think about their Sustainability Actions Plans to ensure each of the activities and projects will bring benefit to our planet, our people, our customer and communities.

Our Sustainability Successes

More of our Sustainability Successes

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Community

Our Partnerships

Samaritans

We work closely with the Samaritans and the wider rail industry to reduce suicide on the railways and to support everyone affected by them. Every suicide leaves a lasting effect on family and friends, as well as rail staff, commuters and the wider community.

We support all our frontline people to attend a suicide prevention course which provides training, skills and confidence to approach someone in need, encourage them to talk, and lead them to a place of safety. The course also teaches some of the listening skills that underpin Samaritans services, which are as relevant both at home as they are at work.

Samaritans logo

Find out more about Samaritans here

Railway Children

Railway Children fight for vulnerable children who live alone at risk on the streets, where they suffer abuse and exploitation. In the UK, society often denies their existence, and in other countries the problem is so prevalent that it has become ‘normal’.

They run away or are forced to leave homes where they suffer poverty, violence, abuse and neglect. They find themselves living on the streets because there is nowhere else to go and no one left to turn to. The problems they face on the streets are often even worse than those they endured at home. Every day we fight to change their story.

Railway Children race to reach children as soon as they arrive on the streets and intervene before an abuser can. Our pioneering work enables us to get to street children before the streets get to them.

Find out more about Railway Children here

Community Rail Network

Community Rail Network is dedicated to supporting community-based groups and partnerships that connect their community with their railway and deliver social benefit. Across Britain, over 70 community rail partnerships, plus hundreds of station friends and other groups and social enterprises, make up the growing community rail movement. Members deliver a range of activities that bring people together and help communities get the most from their railways, as well as helping our railways to thrive. These activities range from community gardening and arts projects on stations, to helping people with disabilities use rail, advising train operators meet local needs - all carrying significant social and economic value.

Community Rail Network provides support, advice and information to the community rail movement through membership services and events. We share good practice and connect those working in community rail, while bringing together insights from the wider voluntary sector, rail industry and beyond. We represent and advocate for community rail, providing a link between our members and national and devolved governments, partners and industry, promoting understanding of their contribution and how this can be nurtured. We also aim to raise awareness about community rail, explaining its importance.

Find out more about Community Rail Network here

Community Rail Partnerships

Click here to download our FY23-24 Community Rail Report

Schools Engagement

Our Diversity and Inclusion Engagement Consultant Rachel Jones leads the Avanti West Coast schools engagement programme. We work with approximately 44 primary and secondary schools across the West Coast mainline to promote careers at Avanti, raise awareness of rail safety and inspire young minds supporting them to develop their employability skills.

We do this by attending careers fairs, careers panels, supporting with mock job interviews, delivering rails safety sessions and early careers talks in Primary schools along with arranging visits to our stations.

Engaging with students provides an excellent opportunity for us as an organisation to reach out to young people who have not previously considered working in the rail industry, especially students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. As such, reaching out to and engaging with students from under-represented groups should provide a diverse talent pipeline into our organisation in the long term.

The programme also provides a great opportunity for our Avanti West Coast colleagues across the network to develop and use their skills to volunteer in delivering our interventions to schools.

For more information please contact Rachel Jones rachel.jones@avantiwestcoast.co.uk

Child's drawing of an Avanti West Coast train with the phrase

Child's drawing of a train with the words

Two Avanti West Coast members of staff pictured smiling

Rachel Moor Park high school pictured smiling

Avanti West Coast pictured smiling at a careers fair

Volunteer with us

Station Volunteering

What is Station Volunteering?

Our stations are at the heart of the community, and by volunteering your time at one can help make a difference to everyone who uses it.

Station volunteers roll up their sleeves and provide support at their local station. From keeping an eye out for unusual activity and reporting faults, to gardening and working with pop-ups and charities all of which are supported by the Station Management team.

Why become a station volunteer?

Train stations are unique to each of the communities they serve. By volunteering your time you’ll get to give something back to your community, meet new people, form friendships, tackle loneliness, share and learn new skills and make a difference.

If you become a volunteer, you’ll be warmly welcomed into the Avanti West Coast family. You’ll receive a complimentary car parking or cycle space every time you volunteer, and we’ll make sure you’re on the guest list to attend a number of events throughout the year.

What can I do?

Work will vary from station to station and before any work can start it must be agreed in advance with the Station Management team. Often you could be:

Planting and gardening
Litter-picking
Reporting signs of trespass or vandalism
Providing support for special events or projects
Acting as ambassadors on the platform to provide passengers with information

Station volunteers do not carry out repairs to structural elements of buildings or station fixtures, lighting, electrical fixtures, gas, water, or conduct any sort of work on the tracks.

How can I get involved?

We welcome station volunteers at stations that we manage across the West Coast Main Line.

To register your interest you can contact us at community@avantiwestcoast.co.uk and our Community Manager will be in touch.

Avanti West Coast in the community

Every connection counts!

Our Customer & Communities Improvement Fund

What is our Customer & Communities Improvement Fund?