More power to your Alba

The Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland is Alba, which comes from the same Celtic root as the name Albion, which refers to all of Great Britain. So it is fitting that we have Graham, an English man to support the Scottish Railway Family.

After studying at St Andrew's, Graham settled in Scotland working 25 years on the railway, first as a ticket examiner, then a driver and finally a timetable planner. But Graham always felt called to combine his profession and faith. After studying a course on chaplaincy, Graham (left) joined the

Mission. “It joins up the things I love – faith, railways and people.”

Coming from a railway background, most frontline staff and managers appreciate that I talk their language. Born in South Africa, Johanna (above) has an interesting family history connection to Scotland, which ultimately led her to join us as a chaplain for Scotland. We will explore this in a later publication. “I feel so privileged to be a chaplain in Scotland. The country is so beautiful and the people are so friendly,” Johanna explained, “Where I was brought up, it had one of the highest crime rates in the world, but in Scotland, I feel safe.” Serving the Lord and loving the railway people in Scotland are the motivating factors for Johanna.

Dereck (below) covers the north of Scotland, where his vast area has the smallest population. “In rural locations, you build relationships slowly and trust takes time.” Timing is important for travelling by train. “Some of the stations close mid-afternoon. Get it wrong and you can get stuck for hours with no one to talk to!”

The pandemic has taken a toll on mental health even in the remotest of communities. Dereck says, “I have seen more people with mental health issues, this is both staff and passengers.” Such is the problem that Dereck has been asked to hold a Suicide Prevention event in the north for Wick and Thurso staff.