The Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership is working with Refugee, Asylum seeker & Migrant Action to help refugees and asylum seekers adapt to life in Essex.
They recently hosted 47 people – from countries such as Albania, South Sudan, Kuwait, Russia and Iran who are now living in Colchester – on a day trip by train to find out about how to use public transport and where to explore further afield.
Travelling on a special Greater Anglia train from Colchester Town on 4 August, they visited Walton-on-the-Naze and enjoyed a magician on board the train to entertain the children as well as a complimentary lunch, both provided by Essex Path to Prosperity.
Greater Anglia said every child on board also received a free bucket and spade as part of the event.
Terri Ryland of the Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership, said the special trips are annually arranged for a bargain day out for families, but that this one was extra special: “I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to have to flee your country and start again in an unknown place and I hope that our ongoing work with RAMA will help them to feel more integrated and confident about exploring their new surroundings.”
“We are extremely grateful to Greater Anglia and to Essex Path to Prosperity project for supporting this event and working with us to bring rail to the heart of a community which can often feel quite isolated.”
Greater Anglia’s Customer and Community Engagement Manager, Alan Neville, said, “We were pleased to support this vital work by RAMA and the Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership which is helping people to use public transport safely and with confidence and connecting them to new opportunities and experiences.”
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