Since launching in 2018, Railway Children’s Night at the Station has raised more than £880,000 to reach and protect some of the world’s most vulnerable children. This year, the charity is aiming to surpass the £1m mark – and is calling on the rail community and individual supporters to help reach the target.
Author: Hannah Shakespeare | Date: 27th February 2026
Proudly sponsored by VolkerRail, the event – now in its eighth year – is taking place at nine stations across the UK. Participants are invited to spend one cold, dark night on a hard station floor to raise vital funds for children with nowhere safe to go, night after night.
Over the past eight years, around 2,000 people from across the railway family and the country have come together with a shared commitment to make a difference for children like Lara.
14-year-old Lara* was found alone and in crisis on railway tracks in the UK. Following support from Railway Children, she is now building a brighter future and hopes to join the police, where she can use her experiences to help other young people.
Lara is just one of thousands of young people across the UK, India and Tanzania that Railway Children has supported, thanks to funds raised through events like this.
“By signing up to Night at the Station, not only are people ensuring we continue to reach and protect children when they need us most, but they have a brilliant night of fun and camaraderie,” says Rob Capener, CEO of Railway Children.
Andrew Wilkins, VolkerRail’s Finance Director, commented:
“VolkerRail has, for many years, supported Railway Children’s valuable work to make the lives of countless vulnerable young people so much better. We are delighted to continue our support by sponsoring and participating in the 2026 event.”
With just a few weeks left to sign up, don’t miss your chance to join colleagues, friends and fellow changemakers, after hours, for a night of camaraderie, commitment and cause.
*Name changed
In a recent report, more than 40% of people said they wouldn’t know what to do if they spotted a child at risk at a train station. * That’s a statistic that Railway Children’s new interactive game, Seconds to Safety, is here to change.
From 18 – 22 May 2026, 14 police officers serving under the Gender and Children’s Desk in Mwanza successfully completed a five-day specialist training on child sexual abuse interviewing and crime scene forensics, delivered through a partnership between Railway Children Africa (RCA) and the College of Policing.
In her first nine months, Nicki Mackin has helped safeguard dozens of young people and worked with rail staff, retailers and the public to improve awareness of vulnerability across the station.
Learn about safeguarding and how it relates to child protection on transport networks.
No child wants to survive on the streets. And, through understanding and empowerment, together, we can ensure no child has to.
Julia, 24, grew up as a boy but knew, early on, that the gender she’d been born into was not who she was. Here, she talks to Youth Platform about her journey, and what she wishes she’d know as a ten-year-old boy.
