At this year’s Community Rail Network’s Community Rail, a project run by East Midlands Railway (EMR) and its partners that helped young people to learn engineering skills scooped top prize.

The awards provide recognition for the hard work put in by everybody involved in community rail, including volunteers, train operators, and community groups. East Midlands Railway and its partners landed the top prize in the Involving Children and Young People category for their ‘Turning around vulnerable young lives through engineering’ project.

Developed in conjunction with Derwent Valley Line Community Rail Partnership (CRP) and Engineered Learning, an organisation that specialises in educating vulnerable young people, the project provided a range of activities in which the participants could take part. These included:

• creating a new arch for Duffield station;
• learning welding and fabricating skills through Engineered Learning;
• taking part in team building exercises;
• listening to a rail safety talk;
• enjoying a tour of Derby station;
• participating in a personal development and careers advice session that gave the students an insight into potential future industry opportunities.

The Community Rail Network judges also recognised East Midlands Railway in other categories, including:

• Third place in the Small Projects category for Alsager Station’s Adopt-A-Station in conjunction with North Staffs Community Rail Partnership and Friends of Alsager Station.
• Third place in the Tourism and Leisure category for the Derwent Valley Line’s promotion of post-Covid return to rail travel, walks, and attractions.

The Community Fund, the first of its kind for the railway industry in the East Midlands, is available to community rail partnerships, station adoption groups, charities, community interest companies, schools, youth organisations, and sports clubs. To qualify, the group or organisation must operate within 15km of an East Midlands Railway station and meet the requirements for funding set out by company.

Further information about the fund and details of how to apply for funding is at https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/community-fund

Jools Townsend, Chief Executive at the Community Rail Network, said: “Our congratulations go to the Derwent Valley Line Community Rail Partnership for its fantastic initiative bringing together a group of young people not in education, employment or training and giving them valuable work experience.

“Judges noted the benefits experienced by the young people involved, not only creating a well-engineered piece of artwork but gaining useful qualifications and which led to some of the group going back into education and pursuing engineering as a career choice.”

Trevor Ainsworth, Derwent Valley Line CRP Chair, said: “I am immensely proud of being involved in this project and what it has achieved. These young people were at a crossroads in their life and for some, the completion of it has positively changed their direction. Three of them have now gained places in education or employment within the wider engineering sphere.

“Not only have they succeeded in that, but they have also designed and manufactured a piece of lasting art, that is the gateway to Duffield station.”

Donna Adams, Community Engagement Manager at East Midlands Railway, said: “I could not be prouder that this project has been recognised.

“It is a great example of how when passionate people collaborate and work hard they can make a real difference to their community and to people’s lives.”

Dan Read, Managing Director of Engineered Learning, said: “This project helped to raise the aspirations of some of our most vulnerable young people. I think it’s fair to say that the social and economic impact of this project will be experienced by the local community at least for the foreseeable future. Our huge thanks go to our partners for helping to make this massive difference to the lives of our young people.”