Special School Engagement – The Railway Confidence Programme.
Students of Newfield School, Blackburn, had a fantastic time during their first train journey on the 12th of October.
Martin Keating of Northern and Daisy Chapman-Chamberlain of Community Rail Lancashire went into the school on the 10th of October, to discuss all the different jobs available in transport, how to prepare for travel and the benefits and safety requirements of using a train.
They then completed a bag packing activity, where they discussed and explored what they would need to take on a train journey. Everybody remembered the first requirement; a ticket!
During their trip on October 12th, the young people experienced rail travel from Blackburn to Preston, most of them for the first time.
They used the ticket office to acquire tickets provided by Northern, travelled to Preston, and spent the day touring the station and completing journey activities.
It was a fantastic day! Class teacher, Mo, said; “Thank you for the wonderful day our class had in experiencing a train journey. For some of them it was a fabulous first occasion. Observing our pupils socialising with passengers and having the chance to fuss over babies in train carriages was amazing. We really appreciate the opportunity to purchase a train ticket, listen to the talk about how to keep safe at the train station, meet the train conductor and have a tour guide around the platform.
It was also lovely to see the kind of access that was available for our pupils with mobility issues. It has been passed on to parents so that they are aware that their child can travel on a train in the future if ever required. Once again, thank you very much for this great and enriching time.”