Great Western Railway (GWR) has named one of their Intercity Express Trains (IET) to honour two “Make a Difference Superstars” who were selected from nine regions across GWR’s network.

The names of Christopher Dando and Evette Wakely feature at either end of IET No. 800029.

On Thursday, 17th February, they travelled on the train named in their honour as Great Western Railway celebrated their community heroics for selflessly helping others at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

They were selected following a link-up between the BBC and GWR to celebrate those people going above and beyond to help others in their communities. Christopher is a care home manager and Evette is a postwoman.

Christopher, from Westbury-sub-Mendip, helped to ensure the safety of 23 residents at Court House Retirement Home in Cheddar by gathering a team of carers who voluntarily locked themselves into a safe bubble for the benefit of their residents.

Together with eight of his team, they moved in with their residents for 12 weeks to protect them, working round-the-clock to keep the pandemic at bay and not seeing their families during that time. The story touched the whole community, who were constantly leaving supplies on the doorstep and sending messages of support.

Royal Mail worker Evette, from Taunton, led 12 colleagues to deliver the post in fancy-dress and raise money for the Love Musgrove Covid-19 Response Fund, which helped nurses and patients at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton. Within a month, they had raised more than £5,000.

She also arranged for a convoy of Royal Mail vans to deliver a gift to a girl awaiting major heart surgery, championed a fundraising month to raise £2,695 for the homeless, and raised another £3,500 for St Margaret’s Hospice in Taunton. She has also helped raise thousands of pounds for Elliot’s Touch, a charity helping to fund research and find cures for Cardiomyopathy in Children and Mitochondrial Disease.

Taunton Deane MP Rebecca Pow said:

“Evette is a real inspiration. As well as being a key worker delivering post and parcels throughout the pandemic, she went above and beyond to raise money for Musgrave Park Hospital – and putting a smile on people’s faces in the process.

“It’s because of people like her that we’ve managed to get through these difficult couple of years, and it’s absolutely fitting that GWR and BBC Radio Somerset have honoured her in this way.”
Wells MP James Heappey said:

“Christopher and his team at Court House Retirement Home showed absolute selflessness throughout the pandemic, sacrificing time with their own families to form Covid-secure bubbles for the safety of residents.
“It’s little wonder these heart-warming acts of kindness struck such a chord with the local community, who responded by leaving generous donations of their own for staff and residents to enjoy.

“Many of us have lost loved ones and had to make sacrifices over these past couple of years, but it’s thanks to people like Christopher and his team who have managed to keep community spirits alive.”
Great Western Railway Managing Director Mark Hopwood said:

“Christopher and Evette went to incredible lengths to support their communities and we’re thrilled to add their names onto the side of an Intercity Express Train.

“The GWR has a long and proud history of naming trains after Great Westerners – past and present heroes from across our network – and it’s a real treat to add these two community stalwarts to that list.

“It was a privilege to partner with the BBC Make a Difference campaign and the stories which featured on BBC local radio were truly overwhelming.”

Head of Audio and Digital for BBC England Chris Burns said:

“We have been amazed by the response of many listeners to our Make a Difference campaign on Local BBC Radio, as listeners have been helping each other out throughout the pandemic.

“It has been humbling to learn about the kind-hearted efforts of so many in our communities and Christopher and Evette are great examples to the rest of us. Congratulations to them and to the team at BBC Somerset.”