Hampshire Community Rail Partnership has organised the ‘Travel with Confidence’ project which will support passengers with non-visible disabilities such as autism, anxiety and phobias and will provide information and training that will make travelling on public transport a more pleasant experience.

Hampshire County Council’s Adult Services has provided funding for the first stage of the project which saw the creation of a booklet feating resources called ‘Help is at Hand’ by the community rail partnership following substantial consultation with local disability groups. The booklet is available for groups and organisations that support people with non-visible disabilities.

The second stage of the project is currently underway and has been supported by South Western Railway and includes Hampshire Community Rail Partnership and other groups to work with local charity Winchester Go LD which teaches people with non-visible disabilities how they can travel more confidently. This stage of the project will also be learning for disability groups and features individual planning resources alongside a visit to stations and rail journeys as a group.

A video is also being produced by Winchester Go LD which teaches vital skills such as boarding trains safely and how to get support at stations.

‘Try the Train’ trips which saw community ambassadors support and educate people who have not travelled by train before or those with less experience of using a railway in order to encourage confidence in travelling by train which was also supported by South Western Railway.

Paula Aldridge, SWR’s Community Rail Manager said: “SWR is always looking for ways to improve access to railway travel and so we were delighted to support Hampshire CRP’s project.

“We want all our customers to feel confident and comfortable on our services and we hope these resources and the work that Winchester Go LD are doing will make their future journeys on public transport easier.”

Betty Chadwick, Winchester Go LD’s CEO said: “Train travel can be particularly difficult for people with learning disabilities. Stations tend to be busy places; people in a hurry, lots of noise, fast-moving information screens and general hustle and bustle provide a challenging and chaotic environment for those who find it difficult to process information. For people with a learning disability train stations can be extremely stressful.

“We are thrilled to be part of this project and are keen to share our travel experiences and tips with peers.”

Lucy Lomax, Hampshire CRP’s Rail Officer said: “It is heart-warming to see this project grow from a Zoom call a couple of years ago to seeing individuals and groups travelling together and sharing their knowledge and confidence.”