A new chaplain for the Northwest and North Wales

Karen Schofield has joined the railway as the new Railway Mission Chaplain for the Northwest and North and Mid Wales area. She will work alongside Mike Roberts who covers the Manchester area and north via Preston and Andrew Hall who covers the West Midlands area centred on Birmingham.

Karen says, she has been struck by the huge ‘Railway Family’ feel of the industry, where people look out for one another, even if they don’t always get on. She recalls how recently, as she passed through the gateline at one station, the staff asked if she could visit another station on the network, as they had heard that one of the team members had passed away suddenly. Karen said: “Although they didn’t know the person who had died, or the other staff at that location, there was a genuine concern for the wellbeing of their colleagues and their manager.”

There are some logistical problems Karen faces, that make covering the rural locations a challenge. Unlike the Merseyrail network with its short distances and frequent services, the travel and frequency of services to more rural locations, especially in Mid and North Wales means that more time is needed to plan journeys and she must always be mindful of the time, so as not to miss the next train.

“The best thing about the railway is meeting new people, everyone is welcoming… I hope that as I develop in the role, I will become a familiar face at depots and offices, not just stations,” explains Karen. “I have really enjoyed learning about the working of the industry, from the roles and responsibilities of station staff to the incredible workings of the mega machinery of the track maintenance, such as the stoneblowers.”

While Karen is new to the UK railway family, she is no stranger to rail travel, having travelled by train right around the coast of India, an area larger than Europe. She has also travelled by train from Los Angeles via Albuquerque to New York, meeting her mother en route. Concerned that the train was 13 hours late, her mother enquired if the train was okay, the response from the station staff was, Late? It is still Tuesday.”

To find your local Railway Mission Chaplain visit www.railwaymission.org

Photo credit: Railway Mission

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