Working with the National Citizens Service (NCS) and Notts County Foundation we took 16 students from Nottingham College, who were part of the English for Speakers of Other Languages course, on a three day programme of Rail Safety and Rail Confidence. None of the students, who had been in the UK for varying lengths of time, had been on a train trip in the UK, with some admitting to being too nervous to attempt a journey.

Day one consisted of a tour of Nottingham station and the students were given a rail safety presentation and shown how to buy a ticket, how to find the correct platform and how to ask for assistance if needed.

Day two and all the students boarded the Poacher Line for a fun filled day in Skegness, again many of the students had not been to a beach before. The Poacher Line officer designed a “Try the Train” booklet with activities and a quiz relating to what they had learnt the previous day. They were treated to traditional Fish & Chips and some team bonding exercises on the beach, before heading back to Nottingham.

Day three of the programme and the students came to Sleaford station where, working with James and Luke from Imageskool, they transformed the subway with a wonderful piece of artwork which reflected the architecture of Sleaford and some RAF history. Local residents all commented on how fantastic the artwork looked and how much of a difference it made. The Poacher Line arranged a lovely gift bag with Christmas treats for the students as a thank you for all their hard work. For more information about the art project at Sleaford subway click here

Charlie, from Notts County Foundation Charity said “The students were buzzing on the way home” and this project was top of any NCS project he had taken part in and “the students had got so much out of the experience”

Funding for the project was kindly provided by East Midlands Railway. If you would like to book a Try the Train trip please Get in Touch