LNER and its customers raise a further £20,000 for partner charity ‘CALM’

LNER and its charity partner, suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), have reached another donation milestone with help from customers and colleagues, announcing that more than £550,000 has now been raised towards CALM’s vital work.  

LNER and CALM marked five years of their partnership with the launch of a special liveried train named ‘You Belong’, which now travels the length of its 956-mile route raising further awareness about the charity. The name was chosen as creating a sense of belonging is a key part of protecting everyone across the UK against suicide. 

This new fundraising milestone follows LNER’s match-funding of £10,000 between October and 31 December 2023 of donations made by customers from their ‘Delay Repay’ compensation and credit earned through the Perks loyalty scheme. While customers continue to show their generosity and support, LNER colleagues have raised money by taking part in the Great North Run, and CALM’s Lost House Walk. Heritage LNER nameplates, including Highland Chieftain, also raised thousands of pounds at auction.    

This year will see the successful partnership enter a sixth calendar year. 

David Horne, Managing Director at LNER, said: “We would like to say a big thank you to our customers and colleagues for their continued support for CALM. Each week, 125 lives are lost to suicide and CALM is there for anyone who’s struggling, providing life-saving services every day of the year to ensure no-one ever feels like there’s nowhere to turn. We are proud to support their work and helpline which offers crucial support when people need it.” 

Simon Gunning, CEO at Campaign Against Living Miserably, said: “We receive 28,000 calls into our helpline every month. That means we answer a call for help every 59 seconds. And demand keeps growing. With LNER’s continued support, which has now seen over £550,000 raised during our partnership, our lifesaving helpline can be there for those that need us. That’s enough to answer 68,750 potentially lifesaving calls. Thank you to everyone at LNER and their incredible customers” 

LNER customers can continue to donate to CALM using their LNER Perks credit or Delay Repay compensation all year round. Further information can be found here: https://www.lner.co.uk/about-us/the-calm-zone/ 

Photo credit: LNER

Download article