A number of celebrities are among the guest speakers appearing at the fourth annual Rail Wellbeing Live, from 7 to 9 November.

Among a stellar cast of speakers are a number of celebrities including TV personality and campaigner, Davina McCall, Olympic rowing legend, Sir Steve Redgrave, and physician and mental health ambassador, Dr Alex George.

Rail Wellbeing Live 2023 is designed to address all aspects of health and wellbeing in an engaging and humorous way. It provides a chance for everyone in the rail industry to come together and meet up with colleagues, while the high-profile speakers will give them inspiration, tips, and guidance, on ways to tackle a wide range of health and wellbeing issues.

Topics to be covered by this year’s speakers are:

• Davina McCall – Lesson’s I’ve Learned;
• Sir Steve Redgrave – You can win at life;
• Dr Alex George – Why mental health matters;
• Owen O’Kane – How to be your own therapist);
• Poorna Bell – Finding strength;
• Dr Megan Rossi – Gut health;
• Gelong Thubten – Living in the present;
• Angie Belcher – Laughter as medicine;
• Dr Michelle O’Sullivan – Strategies for coping with trauma;
• Nina Finlay – Wim Hof breathing method;
• Vidyamala Burch – Living with pain;
• Dr Nerina Ramlakhan – The art of deep sleep.

Attendees can choose which sessions to attend, whilst there will be a session on the evening of Wednesday, 8 November, targeted at colleagues on the frontline who work evening shifts.

The opening session, titled Welcome to Rail Wellbeing Live 2023, will feature talks by Network Rail chief executive, Andrew Haines, SYSTRA assistant engineer and Young Rail Professionals Apprentice of the Year, Lucy Davidson, and Siemens mobility engineer, Henda Moreso Grion. It will be hosted by broadcaster, journalist and author, Kate Silverton, and will focus on young people in the industry, and the future of rail.

Registration for the event is now open at www.rwl2023.co.uk, and Everyone who registers before 29 September will be entered into a prize draw and given the chance to nominate a colleague for the Wellbeing Hero Award, with the winner announced by Kate Silverton on Tuesday 7 November.

Rail Wellbeing Live is fully funded by organisations across the rail industry that are looking to take an active role in supporting the health and wellbeing of their colleagues. They are Alstom, Angel Trains, Arriva, Atkins, BAM Nuttall, Eversholt Rail, FirstGroup, GTR, Hitachi Rail, Keltbray, Keolis, KPMG, LNER, Network Rail, Octavius, ORR, RSSB, Siemens and West Midlands Railway.

Ruth Busby, chair of the Rail Wellbeing Live steering board, and People and Transformation Director at Great Western Railway and Network Rail Wales and Western said: “I’m so proud and excited to be a part of Rail Wellbeing Live 2023. Events like this give us all the opportunity to take a proactive approach to health and wellbeing.

“All too often, we put ourselves to the bottom of the pile and forget to look after ourselves. Taking part in one or more of these fantastic sessions, will give you the tools to make a positive change – whether that be mentally, physically, emotionally or financially.

“I’d especially like to ask line managers to encourage their team to join a RWL session. Even if you can’t join live, sessions are available afterwards so please register and watch at a time that is convenient.

“It doesn’t matter where you are in the rail industry, we all have similar challenges. I very much look forward to everyone coming together to improve wellbeing as one, big, railway family.”