Five passengers with learning difficulties were taken on a day trip by Southern Railway in an effort to boost their knowledge and confidence when it comes to using train services independently.

The ‘Try a Train‘ scheme provides guided tours of stations where people who not be wholly confident can find out about all the features and support available to make journeys as easy as possible.

The five from Mid-Sussex who went on the trip are members of the Haywards Heath-based Kangaroos Disability Club and they were accompanied by three members of staff.  They were taken out by Simon Greenfield, Southern‘s Station Manager for the Brighton Main Line from Haywards Heath to Preston Park, who gave them a guided tour of stations on his patch. While on the trip, they even had time to pause for a drink and a snack at a café in Hassocks.

Carly Abigail, who led the Kangaroos party, said: “We were hoping to offer our members a greater insight into all of the different train services that are available, particularly for people with additional needs, to provide knowledge and a greater level of confidence to be able to access and use the train services by themselves in the future.

“All our expectations were fully met. Simon and his colleagues answered all our questions and we learned about things we hadn’t even considered before. We were impressed with all the services on offer, and learned so many details about the stations, the tracks, the trains, the number of people that use them, how many journeys are made, and more. The whole Southern team made it a very positive and warm experience for our members and staff alike.”

Simon added: “I had a great time with our guests from the Kangaroo group. They were really engaged and eager to learn. It was really rewarding experience that I enjoyed as much as they did.”