Around 50 people – among them refugees, asylum seekers and people living on challenging circumstances – were taken on a day trip to the historic city of Lincoln to help reduce social isolation and boost their confidence in travelling by rail.
Organised by South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA)’s Community Rail programme in partnership with Sheffield charity Open Kitchen Social Club (OSKC), the day included a relaxed scenic rail journey followed by a visit to the Cathedral Quarter, including Lincoln Castle grounds, a tour of the Cathedral itself and a talk about its history, architecture and stained glass windows. A communal picnic at a nearby church hall ended the day.
This was the second trip of this kind organised by SYMCA’s Community Rail in partnership with OKSC – the first one was to Edale, in December 2022.
“Trips like this are a great way to introduce our communities to the fantastic destinations on our local rail network whilst improving people’s confidence in travelling by rail”, says SYMCA’s Community Rail Officer, Cathrine Ashworth, who led the day trip.
“We had a big group this time, with people aged from 5 to 80 years old, all from different cultures, speaking 10 different languages! They all have experienced different hardships in life, so it was great to see a real jovial community spirit when we sat down to eat, with many people sharing their food with their neighbours.
“As with our other trips, the aim is to showcase what’s available on our doorstep by train and how easy and convenient it is to take advantage of our rail network. Promoting inclusion and reducing social isolation also play a big part, as many participants arrived here without any friends, family or resources. By offering some respite where they can forget their circumstances for a day, meet people and make new friends we helped the group to boost their confidence and knowledge to take future, similar trips, on their own.
“And to make the day even more special, the Red Arrows flew over while we were walking to the Cathedral which the group loved, especially one lady who worked in the aviation industry for 27 years before the war in her country”.
