A train operating company (TOC) has thrown down the gauntlet, challenging people to find regeneration projects and solutions to social needs in the areas which it serves.

A new funding pot has been set aside with the aim of improving stations and supporting initiatives which make a difference in the region served by Avanti West Coast.  The TOC operates services from London Euston to Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley as well as intermediate stations, including Birmingham New Street, Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly and the North Wales Coast.

The Customer and Communities Improvement Fund (CCIF) is now open for applications, which must be received by 23:59 on Friday 12 January 2024.  This is the fourth round of funding which has been provided by the company as it seeks to support charitable and community activities with a view to creating inclusive, prosperous and connected communities.  Applicants could be charities, stakeholders, organisations or community groups and must be based within ten miles of a station served by the intercity operator along the West Coast Main Line.  Those successful in their bids will receive money over a one-year period.

One example of funding in action is Sherborne Community Hub Project – a children’s gardening group and adult peer support group, which received CCIF funding in April 2021.  The project is based on a residential estate close to Crewe town centre and the money enabled the hub to continue running for two years so residents could continue benefitting from regular peer support and activity days. The funds were also used to help them transform the hub to make the outside area accessible and the inside space better equipped to accommodate a range of activities.

Future submissions could range from schemes aimed at improving station experiences through giant art installations, better integrated journeys using sustainable transport modes to connecting young people to education or job opportunities.

Andy Mellors, Managing Director of Avanti West Coast, said: “We’re delighted to be opening another round of our Customer and Communities Improvement Fund to build on the positive changes we’ve helped deliver in previous years.

“At Avanti West Coast we connect people and places to opportunity and this fund will help do just that – by supporting initiatives that matter most to those communities across our route.

“We would love for local organisations, community groups, stakeholders, and charities to bid for a share of the funding, so we can support projects that will benefit them, as well as create a difference in the regions we serve.”