The Rail Forum’s mission to support local charity Cash for Kids this Christmas was launched at the RFM Conference back in October, and the fund was kickstarted by a bear raffle run by the RFM team on the day. This, combined with the small donation included in the price of each RFM Christmas Lunch ticket, brought in a fantastic £1,100! The team then set about buying the toys, games and teddies pictured above!
The Christmas Lunch, held last Friday at the Pride Park Stadium was our biggest yet! Over 130 guests from member companies and stakeholders joined the Rail Forum team for a festive afternoon of networking, food and mulled wine.
“It was an excellent event. Friendly, good atmosphere, and an environment that encouraged people to talk to each other. This, in my very limited experience, is what rail needs. If the industry doesn’t take the time to get to know people with valid and potentially valuable contributions it will struggle to move forward and meet targets. Events like this open minds and doors”.
Richard Uttley, SET
BEIS’ Michael Noakes and Amey’s Anna Delvecchio gave a sector deal update following its launch the day prior. Anna spoke of the support the Rail Forum has provided; “Without Elaine, the team and members, we couldn’t have done it”. Guests also heard from Railway Mission’s Ralf Coleman on the work they do to support people working in our industry.
Hitachi Rail also kindly donated a number of limited edition Hitachi Monopoly sets which were raffled off at the Lunch. Proceeds from this and the auction of a signed Derby FC shirt, generously donated by Accept Fusion, meant the RFM team have been able to donate a further £500 to the Cash for Kids charity in addition to the gifts. Funds are also vital to the work they do; enabling the team to buy presents for age groups less easily catered for in the donations, sensory equipment for disabled children and support for families during difficult times this Christmas and beyond.
Half of the gifts collected have now been taken to the charity’s East Midlands HQ, it’s fair to say that the team were blown away by the generosity of the rail industry! The remaining half of the gifts will now be taken to the West Midlands HQ early next week.
“Wow, what a result! We’re so thrilled to have the support of the Rail Forum Midlands this year, it’s great to see local businesses getting involved to support kids who have had a particularly hard time this year, we’ll now work hard to ensure the gifts reach all of those in need in time for Christmas!”
John Stratton, Cash for Kids Regional Charity Manager – Midlands
The Rail Forum Midlands team would like to thank everyone who attended Friday’s Lunch and made the donation possible, especially those of you who brought your own gift donations along on the day! We also owe a huge thank you to our wine sponsor, Structural Fabrications, celebrating 25 years of manufacturing and installation!
