Northern Trains is offering £250,000 towards projects that will make a positive difference to communities across the north of England and which will enhance accessibility and improve train travel for everyone.

The funding will come from the Northern Accessibility Innovation Scheme, which aims to open opportunities for disabled and older people across Northern’s network. The company is looking for proposals from organisations, stakeholders, community groups, and charities, and will award funding in a number of categories. One project will be awarded £100k, several will receive £50k, and others will each have a maximum of £10k.

To ensure the success of the scheme, Northern is providing administrative support and railway expertise whilst the Northern Accessibility User Group (NAUG) will lead the scheme.

In 2020/21, Northern’s Accessibility Fund delivered projects in partnership with local authorities, community rail partnerships, and charities across West and South Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Cheshire, Lancashire, and Cumbria, that included:

• A pilot scheme at Buxton station where station signage was improved to help those suffering from dementia;
• A scheme to reduce social isolation and improve people’s wellbeing by helping them to access their local train services;
• Tactile wayfinding to assist people with visual impairments;
• Virtual 360° tours of Manchester Victoria and Blackburn stations.

Northern Accessibility User Group covers anyone with a very wide range of disabilities, and disability groups and organisations throughout the communities served by Northern.

Proposals for the 2023 scheme could include proposals to make train travel simpler and easier, ideas for making people aware of their train services, suggestions for encouraging people to travel by train who have never done so before, or how to better present information about stations or the facilities available.

For bids to be considered, the proposed project or scheme must be scheduled for completion by 31st December 2023. Applications are open until 18th December 2022, and judging and awards will take place early next year.

Proposals must be fully costed and appropriately researched, and although match funding is not a requirement, it will be taken into consideration, especially for schemes with a higher overall value.

Applications should be submitted via the Northern’s Accessibility Fund page at
https://northernrailway.force.com/s/article/Accessibility-fund

Northern Accessibility User Group spokesperson, Mark Wilson, said: “Northern are working continuously to improve accessibility across its network and our user group is proving expert lived experience of disability to support this and we are delighted.

“The scheme cash delivered some great projects last year and we are pleased with Northern’s continued commitment which will benefit many communities across the North.”

Mark Powles, Commercial & Customer Director at Northern said: “We are dedicated to making Northern’s services accessible to everyone, and to playing a role in improving the communities along our routes. We want to hear suggestions for how we can continue to do this.

“I am delighted that for the second year running we have been able to provide a quarter of a million pounds to our Accessibility Innovation Scheme, which will consider a wide range of proposals involving our trains and stations and will have a positive impact for the north.”

“The fund is part of our wider project to transform our network, giving all our customers a rail service fit for the 21st Century.”