Railway Family Week is here, celebrating the rail industry and the amazing people in it. This year marks the fourth year the event has been held by Railway Benefit Fund (RBF), raising much-needed funds so that the charity can continue to be there for the railway family.
This year it is hoped £50,000 will be raised for RBF in its work providing financial support to current, former and retired railway staff and their dependents across the UK.
Jo Kaye, Chief Executive Officer, said: “Your contributions have the power to make the future brighter for thousands of railway people and their families across the UK. We cannot achieve this without the support, donations and fundraising.
“People can get involved by volunteering and receiving a free volunteer toolkit, take part in our raffle or support the teams in our Station to Station Challenge, or simply donate to make a difference.”
Station to Station Challenge
Teams from across the industry, including Amaro, Avanti West Coast, Clemtech, Cross Country Trains, Engauged, Freightliner, Furrer + Frey, Porterbrook, Railway Industry Association, RSSB, Railpen and VTG Rail are taking on 2,000 mile virtual walk around Great Britain, calling at 23 iconic stations along the way. Team members track their real-world activity along a virtual route in a step challenge app.
The challenge starts on Monday 22nd April and finishes on Monday 13th May – still time to enter a team for £300, visit: www.railwaybenefitfund.org.uk/station-to-station-challenge
Volunteer
RBF are looking for volunteers to get involved and help them reach their target of £50,000. The charity’s aim is to accrue 50,000 volunteer minutes across the week. Whether you can give 30 minutes, a few hours, an afternoon, or a full day, you can make a real impact. RBF will provide you with a digital volunteering pack with all you need to start fundraising and get your friends and colleagues involved.
Raffle
The Railway Family Raffle is back. This year there are three incredible prizes up for grabs: a Hornby Bundle, a Desktop Departure Board and tickets to ‘Here & Now’, the Steps Musical.
Enter the raffle here: https://go.eventgroovefundraising.com/railwayfamily
Impact of the support
Highlighting RBF’s importance, one railway worker who turned to the charity said: “I was in a state of confusion and drowning in debts. I had no hope of paying all I owed from my salary as it would leave me with nothing to support my family for the rest of the month. I had court letters and bailiff threats. RBF helped me pay my council and energy bill debt, I am so thankful and relieved.”
To find out more about how to get involved, visit RBF’s website: www.railwaybenefitfund.org.uk/news/railway-family-week or email: fundraising@railwaybenefitfund.org.uk
