Southern’s ‘Try the Train’ day a huge success

The group from County Care pose for the cameras at London Bridge

10 young people with learning difficulties who have rarely or never travelled on a train before, have been shown just how easy it is from start to finish by Southern, travelling from Redhill station London Bridge, as part of Southern’s ‘Try the Train’ initiative.

The youngsters were accompanied by Sussex Community Rail Partnership's Sharon Gray and staff from County Care who work with young adults who have learning disabilities, autism and mental health problems, who are out of education, but still need some structure and interest in their lives.

The group met at Redhill station where they were issued with tickets and given a welcome talk, then onto the train heading for East Croydon. At the station, they had a good look around and a coffee, and then back on the train to London Bridge where Southern’s Accessibility Manager Anthony Merlin met them. He gave the group a talk about the improvements to the station and then discussed train travel in general with them.

After a tour around the station and some lunch, the group enjoyed a walk along London’s south embankment in the glorious sunshine before heading back to Redhill.

Kelvin Lindsay from County Care said: “The group were put at ease and made to feel very welcome. The group enjoyed being shown around and they felt much more confident and less scared at the prospect of being in such a busy place.”

Southern’s Accessibility Manager, Antony Merlyn said: “The main point of the day was to help people with learning difficulties overcome their fears of train travel, and to help them be more independent. We wanted it to be both fun and informative and our station staff were fantastic.”

Sharon Gray from Sussex Community Rail Partnership said: “It was a very interesting day for me – I learnt a great deal about the issues people with varying degrees learning difficulties face in doing the little things that I take for granted.”

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About County Care

County Care is widely regarded as one of the most respected, innovative providers of support for people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health throughout Surrey and West Sussex. They are committed to providing high quality, person centred services which promote the independence, choice and inclusion of the people they support. They have an excellent track record for the delivery of services which are truly personalised.

Across their services they highlight the importance of people being supported and encouraged to participate in a wide range of activities, and staff ensure that people enjoy full and active lifestyles. This helps to increase social inclusion and to make sure that the people they support have full access to the community resources, events and activities available. This in turn improves health and well-being and gives people the opportunity to strengthen their social networks and develop their confidence.

For more details, visit www.countycare.co.uk/.