Rail Aid in 2021 could have been even more of a challenge than it was in 2020, but once again the rail family has come together to support in raising vital funds for industry charity Railway Children. The pandemic restrictions may have eased but having already made the decision to cancel the Railway Ball, we needed creative and fun challenges and events to get the whole industry involved in Rail Aid 2021. From Get on Track and the Love Train Challenge to the Golf Day, Santa Trains and trips aboard the Rail Aid British Pullman, the fantastic sponsors have made Rail Aid 2021 possible. So, we’d like to give a massive shout out to our Gold sponsors this year – and remind everyone that it’s not too late to join them as a sponsor of Rail Aid 2021!
Meet Rail Aid 2021’s Gold sponsors
Angel Trains
Malcolm Brown, CEO of Angel Trains said: “As one of Britain’s leading train asset managers and biggest investors in rail, Angel Trains is committed to working together with Rail Aid, alongside the wider community of train operating companies and industry bodies to ensure rail continues to support charitable causes after the pandemic.
“We are proud of our 27-year-long partnership with Railway Children, which has been a lifeline for children across the world through this difficult period. As part of this longstanding partnership, we have been delighted to extend our support by sponsoring the Rail Aid 2021 campaign. In the lead up to Rail Aid Week and as part of our sponsorship we’ll be supporting the Get on Track challenge, encouraging people to collectively run, walk, wheel, or cycle the distance between flagship Railway Children projects in each of the three countries that the Railway Children charity works in – UK, India and Tanzania – covering a distance of 26,201km.
“Through our work with the charity over the last few years, we have helped boost funding for several of the charity’s outreach programmes across the UK, Africa and India, where schools have faced closure due to the pandemic and children have faced difficulties accessing the tools they need to learn. We hope to continue this momentum and fundraise for Rail Aid 2021 helping those children who have faced the unimaginable challenges as a result of the pandemic.”
Porterbrook
Mary Grant, Porterbrook CEO and Rail Aid Ambassador said: “Porterbrook has been a keen supporter of Railway Children over many years, most recently through our sponsorship of the annual Three Peaks Challenge by Rail. This year the event raised over £200k for the charity and we are delighted to confirm our sponsorship of this demanding but enjoyable event for a period of five years. “That said, lockdown has severely impacted on other sources of Railway Children funding, especially with the cancellation of the Railway Ball for a second year. To help address this, Porterbrook is backing Rail Aid 2021, not just by donating locomotive nameplates to the Rail Aid auction but also by covering the operating cost of November’s headline event ‘The Rail Aid British Pullman’. “I invite industry partners and colleagues to support Rail Aid in any way they can, so that together we can help a wonderful charity to continue supporting vulnerable young people in both the UK and worldwide.”
Worldline
James Bain, CEO of Worldline and Chair of the Rail Aid Committee said: “We have continued to support Railway Children over a number of years and were lucky to be involved with Rail Aid when it launched last year. At Worldline, we are delighted to be a Gold sponsor of Rail Aid 2021.
“Rail Aid not only gives Railway Children a new avenue for fundraising but another way for the 400+ Worldline team to get involved too. Over the years the team at Worldline have supported many events from Ride Africa, running the London Marathon and of course the Three Peaks Challenge. Every year it’s great to see the teams coming together to support those who need it, and that’s true this year more than ever before. Earlier this year, a team from Worldline completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge and people donated from across the organisation through various activities. A game of virtual bingo helped brighten up a wet and rainy day for the team as we wished our colleagues well on their weekend quest around Yorkshire. We hope to see many more within the rail industry do their bit to help raise critical funds for Rail Aid 2021 and the team at Worldline endeavour to spread the word and ensure Rail Aid 2021 is bigger and better than last year!”
All our sponsors are integral to Rail Aid 2021, and we are incredibly grateful to them. Our Gold sponsors, Worldline, Porterbrook and Angel Trains, have made this year’s Rail Aid possible. We couldn’t do it without them.
If you’d like information about becoming a Rail Aid 2021 sponsor, please contact Alison Rhind-Tutt at Alison@cl-events.com.
0113 2082620
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