South Western Railway (SWR) have joined with UK Youth as part of a campaign to raise awareness on the dangers of rail trespassing.
As part of the partnership SWR have invested £40,000 to help educate young people on the risks of trespassing, vandalism and level crossing misuse.
The project will be held at Avon Tyrrell Outdoor Centre in the New Forest National Park for 11-25-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The course will be run across winter and spring 2022 and those in attendance will participate in activities raising awareness on rail safety.
SWR’s £40,000 investment forms part of the operator’s commitment to support communities across its network via the Customer and Communities Improvement Fund (CCIF).
SWR commented on how the project can help make the UK’s railways safer for everyone.
Veronika Krcalova, CCIF Manager at SWR said: “We are always looking for new ways to improve railway safety and support the communities that our network serves.
“Our partnership with UK Youth is a great opportunity to engage with younger customers and educate them on the operations and risks of a railway.
“In turn, we hope that it will improve both the safety of those participating in the course, as well as other customers.”
David Watts, Director of Outdoor Learning at UK Youth explained how the partnership with SWR will help UK Youth achieve their goals of delivering key life skills to young people.
Mr Watts said: “UK Youth is very grateful to SWR for this funding.
“[This] will enable us to use outdoor learning as a powerful tool to educate young people on the risks associated with railways.
“Providing young people with opportunities such as this that utilise outdoor learning and physical activity to deliver vital life skills, and support good citizenship, have never been more important.”
