Sussex Downs Line community rail group highlights social value in Annual Review

The group which works to connect communities to their railways on the Seaford to Brighton rail route has published its yearly report and has for the first time calculated the social value from its work.Southeast Communities Rail Partnership details more than 500 volunteers working on its lines who put in more than 19,000 hours in 2023 worth an estimated £268,000 in social value.
By Paul BromleyContributor
Published 5th Mar 2024, 09:21 BST
Annual Review of Community Rail groupAnnual Review of Community Rail group
Annual Review of Community Rail group

The group says there are 40 volunteers who devote 6,500 hours annually to improve the 10 stations on the Sussex Downs Line.

The document from Southeast Communities Rail Partnership (SCRP) also summarises the thousands of school workshops, station visits and ‘Try a Train’ trips conducted by its education and line officers.

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The pages covering the Sussex Downs Line showcase projects and events carried out with partners in the last year. These include:

  • The launch of an integrated travel map and leaflets showing walking and bus routes for onward journeys from Seaford
  • Awards from rail user group Railfuture for the Friends of Bishopstone Station for the conversion of the Old Parcel Room into a thriving community hub
  • Artwork produced by the Youth Group for Christ which now sits above the ticket office window at Newhaven Town station
  • Thousands of pounds raised on a charity farewell tour for the Class 313 trains which have now been replaced on the route

Tim Barkley, chair of Southeast Communities Rail Partnership Community Interest Company, said: “We were able to deliver a number of successful projects collaborating with community groups and partners. We were incredibly pleased with the support we received from partners, station adopters, volunteers, and our train operating companies during 2023.

"SCRP is continuing to build on the successes of last year and is again working with local community groups and partners on a range projects and events. The interest in our education work continues to grow and there is strong demand from schools for lessons on the environment and low carbon travel.”

The full report is available to read and download on SCRP's website.

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Southeast Communities Rail Partnership works to connect communities to people, places and opportunities on railway lines. It is an accredited rail partnership with the Department for Transport and has 10 Community Rail lines.

Southeast CRP works with five train operating companies across East and West Sussex as well as parts of Surrey, Kent, Berkshire and south-west London.

The partnership works with train operators, Network Rail, local authorities, community representatives and dedicated volunteers at 127 stations on its lines. It also has specialist education officers who teach youngsters about rail safety, healthy and sustainable travel as well as taking people on ‘Try a Train’ trips.

More details about the work of Southeast CRP at www.southeastcrp.org

Related topics:BrightonSeafordNetwork RailWest Sussex