Your Station Your Community Improvement Fund
Govia Thameslink is launching the Your Station Your Community Improvement Fund on 28 June
They have issued the following details:
GTR is launching a new fund, called the ‘Your Station, Your Community, Improvement Fund ’, to support local charities, our customers, and the communities on our line or route, focusing on the causes that are of key importance to us.
The fund supports the following key themes: mental health, education, and employability skills amongst marginalised groups, as well as diversity and inclusion and environmental sustainability.
Over the next three years, GTR will be allocating up to £500,000 a year to fund projects based up to 15 miles from stations on our network.
We welcome applications from registered charities, community groups and other not-for-profit organisations such as rail user groups, community rail partnerships, business partnerships, town councils, parish councils and schools.
We are aware you are receiving this information just before a week of national strike action from RMT. However, we felt it was still important to inform our stakeholders of the launch of our fund ahead of the application opening date, to better prepare you for any applications you’d like to make.
What we’re looking for:
We’re looking for applications for initiatives taking place within 15 miles of stations on our network, that make a positive impact in one or more of the focus areas listed below. For a route map click here
Enhancing our stations to be a welcoming environment
- Regenerating redundant station spaces for community hubs, providing space for activities that enrich the local community and bring station estate back into use. Creating a welcoming ambiance to our stations enhancing our customers’ experience.
Positive Mental Health
- Mental health activities that encourage working with local partners to signpost people to support services or initiatives that have a positive impact on people’s wellbeing. Connecting people together to take positive action to prevent suicide, an issue that has devasting and far reaching impact on our people, customers and communities.
Diversity and Inclusion
- Supporting diverse and inclusive community projects, creating opportunities for learning and the social mobility of more marginalised groups. Our ambition is to create an inclusive culture where customers and colleagues feel able to be themselves and feel they belong to their local communities.
Employability and confidence building
- Promoting employability and education amongst marginalised groups by investing in the skills development for now and the future, creating a talent pipeline to support the local economy.
Environmental Sustainability
- Supporting environmental projects and encouraging sustainable mobility shift to encourage customers to make greener choices to travel by rail and getting to our stations sustainably - by bike, bus, foot or electric car.
How to apply
We have an online application form which will go live on 28 June 2022 and will close at 23:59 on 30 July 2022.
Two online Drop-in Q&A sessions will run on 7/ 14 July between 12.30 – 13.30. There will be a short presentation at 12.30 followed by an opportunity to ask questions on the fund.
7 July webinar Microsoft Teams link
14 July webinar Microsoft Teams link
Use the following links to make your application:
To make the application process accessible to all we also have an editable word formatted version available that can be downloaded, completed and returned to: community@gtrailway.com.
If other alternatives are still required to complete the application form then please make contact via the email address provided, leaving your contact details, organisation details, and any special requirements you need to complete the form.
Read our Guide to Applying here.
You can also read our FAQs for answers to your questions about the application process.
Timelines
- Applications open: 28 June 2022
- Applications close: 30 July 2022
- Review: July – September 2022
- Submitted to DfT: December 2022
- Notification: Q1 2023
- Funding received: April 2023
- Funding spent and fully committed: 31 March 2024
Contact details
If you would like to contact us to discuss your scheme, or for support completing your application, please email us at community@gtrailway.com and one of the team will be happy to help.
Katherine Watson - katherine.cox@gtrailway.com
Rob Whitehead - rob.whitehead@gtrailway.com
Olivia Barlow - olivia.barlow@gtrailway.com
Patrick Ladbury - patrick.ladbury@gtrailway.com
Andrew Chillingsworth - andrew.chillingsworth@gtrailway.com