Railway staff at Crewe station have collected their experiences through the Coronavirus Pandemic to create a photo book to raise money for charity.

Based at Crewe, Customer Service Team Leader, Marc Scruton, and Customer Service Assistant, Jacqui Hemingway, have worked to make a photo book that shows off the station and its team throughout the last seven months.

Marc previously worked as a professional photographer before joining the railway nearly 20 years ago. He took the opportunity when fewer passengers were travelling to walk around the station with his camera to record what the Crewe team experienced.

The book is being auctioned online on the 27th November as part of Rail Aid, and you can bid on the book by visiting the Rail Aid website by clicking here.

Speaking of his aspirations to record Crewe station during coronavirus, Marc said: “As a photographer, I take my camera everywhere, so this allowed me to keep it at work and use it to document as much as possible during the pandemic.

“We witnessed the station as never seen before, and I wanted to capture it through our eyes, as we experienced it – and for the feelings, thoughts, fears, challenges and experiences of my colleagues to be recorded.

“Through my photography, I was keen to provide an insight into what we felt and some of the sights we saw – to see Crewe during ordinary peak times with only one or two people travelling is surreal. I hope our book gives a sense of what we experienced in the last few months, something that could only really be understood if you worked here at the time. Everyone will have stories to tell and experiences to relive, but these will soon be forgotten, so I wanted to capture as much as I could.”

“We have missed the familiar faces of customers at the station and engaging with our local community. We’re keen to connect with them, and Capture Crewe is designed to do that through photography, while raising vital funds for Railway Children”, Jacqui said.

“We would love to know what they’ve experienced – whether it’s making a difference, taking up a hobby or enjoying the simple things. So, we can tell Crewe’s story and remind people they’re not alone” added Jacqui.

Staff at Crewe are inviting passengers to share a photo and statement of their experience of the pandemic for display at the station and on Avanti West Coast‘s social media.

Images can be uploaded by clicking here to visit the Avanti West Coast website but must be shared before 23:59 on the 27th November 2020.

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