Q1
West & North Yorkshire Business
30 RAISING THE BAR - STORIES
Take time out for a chat
Tour De Ramsdens
Bus journeys are a springboard
TransPennine Express (TPE) has launched a brand-new initiative, ‘chatty benches’, in a push to end loneliness and increase conversations amongst customers, following more than a year of reduced interactions amongst the public due to the pandemic.
Our team of cyclists took on the 100 mile route across our 14 offices, starting at York at 6 am and finishing at the Ramsden Street office in Huddersfield at 7:30 pm, in aid of the Yorkshire Children’s Centre.
Harrogate’s leading bus operator, The Harrogate Bus Company, has stepped in to help local students with special educational needs to build independence as they travel.
With more than 9m people in the UK experiencing loneliness, TPE understands it may be the person sitting next to you who is quietly struggling. Consequently, the train company has launched the ‘chatty benches’, which will now be signposted at all of TPE’s managed stations** throughout the North. To mark the launch, colleagues, customers and representatives from the Campaign to End Loneliness took a seat at the world’s longest railway bench, at Scarborough train station, TPE’s very first ‘chatty bench’. In a recent study conducted by the Campaign to End Loneliness, 71% of adults in the North of England thought that loneliness would be a serious issue beyond Covid-19. Now, TPE is committed to raising awareness of loneliness and helping customers in the North and Scotland who currently suffer, or who have suffered from loneliness during the pandemic. Partnership Marketing Manager for TransPennine Express, Lisa Hewitt said: “We’re very excited to be launching the ‘chatty benches’ initiative at stations throughout the North. We know, now more than ever, getting together has never felt better. We want to raise awareness of the issue and encourage moments of interaction to support those who have experienced loneliness, helping them make new connections whilst also enabling them to reconnect with family and friends.”
Yorkshire Children’s Centre, which was set up by Brian Jackson over 40 years ago, is dedicated to improving the lives of residents in Kirklees, offering their support to children, young people, adults, families and the elderly. The charity has been fundamental in helping the local community throughout the pandemic, from offering befriending and victim support services to helping people get back to work. Sara Altman, Head of Income and Partnerships at the Yorkshire Children’s Centre commented: “We would like to say a huge thank you to the team and all of the cyclists at Ramsdens Solicitors who have taken on the #TourDeRamsdens 100 mile cycle challenge to support the work of YCC. As a registered charity, we rely on the business community to help us raise the £3m needed each year to provide our vital services for children, young people and adults across Kirklees. We are delighted that the team at Ramsdens have chosen to support YCC, and are all extremely grateful for their kindness and generosity.” So far the team have raised an amazing £1,075 (inc Gift Aid) for the charity, smashing their original target of £500. Jonathan Cornes, lead organiser of the charity event said: “I want to say thank you to all the staff across Ramsdens for their hospitality and encouragement for the Tour de Ramsdens and to everyone who has supported us and donated.”
The bus firm is providing free travel across Harrogate and Knaresborough for groups of students and their teachers from Springwater School in Starbeck, to help them to get around town and gain travel skills along the way. All young people attending the school have moderate to complex learning disabilities, and their teachers say the bus firm’s support is vital to help them rebuild social confidence as their learning community recovers from the impact of the pandemic. Springwater School Sixth Form teacher Kelly Tomlinson said: “We’re very grateful to The Harrogate Bus Company for supporting us. Our students will benefit from being able to visit venues and integrate with the local community, gaining independent travel training skills as they go. “Our Sixth Form classes especially benefit from travelling by bus, as students are accessing a curriculum that prepares them for adulthood. Being able to travel together to town to use community facilities, access local shops and so on will make all the difference to their progress.” The Harrogate Bus Company’s General Manager, Steve Ottley, said: “We’re delighted to be able to help Springwater School with group travel on our buses – it’s something we supported before the pandemic, and it’s more important now than ever that we do all we can to make travel safe and enjoyable for the students.”
