We collaborated with rail partners for a powerful Day of Action to raise awareness of safeguarding issues along the West Coast Main Line.
Date: 1st August 2025 | Author: Suzi Lawrence
On Thursday 31st July, Railway Children, in partnership with Avanti West Coast, Network Rail and a host of safeguarding and rail professionals, successfully delivered a powerful Day of Action across key train stations along the West Coast Main Line from Glasgow Central to London Euston to raise awareness of vulnerability and safeguarding issues affecting children and young people.
The event – specifically timed during the school summer holidays – saw multi-agency stalls at Glasgow Central, Preston, Birmingham New Street, and London Euston stations as well as a visit to the new Hub at Wolverhampton station.
It featured face-to-face engagement with passengers and station staff, distribution of educational safeguarding materials and interactive activities.
This coordinated effort was part of Railway Children’s ongoing campaign “At Risk, Right Here, Right Now”, which is designed to increase public understanding of the risks facing vulnerable young people on the rail network and how the public can respond through use of the 61016 British Transport Police text reporting number.
The day included a symbolic journey by safeguarding professionals from Glasgow to London, engaging passengers and staff onboard, while parallel activities unfolded in rail stations along the line.
The journey demonstrates the ease that a vulnerable young person could travel form the north of the UK in Scotland to the south in London, and how by knowing and spotting the signs of vulnerability, young people can be protected and safeguarded. These efforts helped amplify the campaign’s reach across urban and rural areas alike.
Materials used during the event were co-produced with youth advisory groups, including young people with lived experience who had previously engaged with Railway Children services.
Joe Clay, Safeguarding Partnerships Manager at Railway Children, said:
“Having young people shape the campaign ensured that our messages resonated with real-life experience and reflected the urgent needs on the ground.
“Our aim is to start vital conversations, equip the public and railway staff with the tools to spot the signs of exploitation or distress, and strengthen the protective network across the rail network. By bringing together professionals from across the country at this event, we highlighted the importance of partnership in safeguarding.”
In addition to Avanti West Coast, key partners in attendance at events across the UK included British Transport Police, TransPennine Express, West Midlands Railway, Network Rail, Skanska, Amulet, Camden Council Youth Services and safeguarding representatives from Railway Children.
Natalie Richbell-Beer, Avanti West Coast Safeguarding and Crime Manager, said:
“Having these important conversations with customers about safeguarding is a great opportunity to raise awareness of the risks young people can face, as well as the role everyone can play in protecting vulnerable people.
“By teaming up as an industry alongside Railway Children to highlight how to spot those at risk who find themselves at stations or on trains, we hope to encourage the public to act so they can support us in keeping even more young people safe.”
Nicole Elgram, Network Rail shift station manager at London Euston, said:
“Today’s event has been a great opportunity to help raise awareness amongst our passengers and staff about how to spot the signs and provide help to vulnerable people who find themselves on our railway.
“At London Euston, we’re proud to work closely with Railway Children, BTP and our train operator partners to host important events like this one, to help make our railway safer for everyone.”
Councillor Sabrina Francis, Camden Council’s Cabinet Member for Jobs, Young People and Culture, said:
“While summer can be a time of fun and opportunity, it also brings risks for some vulnerable children and young people. That’s why we are happy to support this vital awareness campaign with our partners.”
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