GTR staff run to remember trainee driver Paul

Rail staff from Govia Thameslink Railway finished the Great Eastern Run on Sunday (8 October) in memory of their 32-year-old colleague, trainee driver Paul McCann, who tragically died running the same half marathon last year.

Best friend Reece Hill, 30, who secured his job as a train presentation team leader with GTR for Great Northern thanks to Paul’s help, joined co-worker shunter Gavin Smoker of Welwyn Garden City sidings on the 13-mile Peterborough course. They were supporting Paul’s 60-year-old father Mick and brothers Richard, 35 and twin Graham, 33, who also ran the course.

Reece said Paul’s death was heart-breaking, describing him as a “loveable character who always had a smile on his face.” Paul was a father of two and died only weeks away from completing his driver training.

After completing the race in 1 hour 45 minutes, Reece, who works with Gavin at Welwyn Garden City sidings, said: “The race was emotionally draining. Before the start we tried to laugh our way through it but the moment I started running it just hit me - I was thinking he should still be here, running this, not me.

“After eight miles or so I stopped at a water station and just thought ‘I can’t go on,’ but one of the runners saw me and Paul’s name on my shirt and said ‘Keep going for Paul!’ and it got me started again. The support from everybody along the route was amazing. Paul was very well known and respected in Peterborough.”

Paul died a mile from the end of the run in 2016 and this year’s event has raised over £5,500 for CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) to pay for screenings of people aged under 35 to check for heart defects. The friends hope to reach £8,500 which will pay for a free screening session in Peterborough.

Last month, Great Northern and Virgin East Coast train drivers based at Peterborough took part in a memorial football match, with Great Northern winning 10-1, that raised £1,220. In June, GTR also named one of its newly-introduced Class 387 trains after Paul.

Stuart Cheshire, Passenger Services Director for Great Northern and Thameslink, said: “Paul was an exceptional person whose death moved a lot of people in our community at Great Northern.”

Steve Castle, Route Operations Assurance Manager for Great Northern, said: “Paul was always positive about his training and was so passionate about becoming a train driver. He told me himself that it was a career he was looking forward to so much and saw it as a real privilege to driver trains over a very busy route.”

To support CRY, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/michael-McCann9.

Ends

Editor’s notes

Finishing times

Richard McCann (Paul’s older brother): 1 hour 40 mins

Mick McCann (Paul's dad): 2 hours 58 minutes

Graham McCann (Paul's twin brother): 1 hour 48 mins

Gavin Smoker (friend and Welwyn Garden City shunter): 2 hours 13 minutes

Reece Hill: 1 hour 45 minutes

For more information email press.office@gtrailway.com or call the Thameslink and Great Northern press office: 0203 750 2031