On Wednesday 7 October, Katie left the North West and headed down to London to attend the Rail Unites Black History Month event.

The event brought together people from across the rail industry to celebrate Black History Month and explore this year’s theme, Honouring Our Communities. It was a chance to hear from speakers, take part in discussions and think about how the railway can better reflect and support the communities it serves.

A key theme throughout the day was the importance of representation, opportunities to progress, genuine belonging and being able to “bring your whole self to work”.

Katie took part in the Inspire breakout session alongside Ian Davies from Community Rail Network and Natalia-Nana Lester-Bush, Development Lead – EDI at The King’s Trust. The session explored how the rail industry can inspire more people to see rail as somewhere they could belong, work and progress.

Katie was also able to share some of the learning from Community Rail Lancashire’s Bridging the Gap project. This project explored barriers to train travel and rail careers for diverse communities in Lancashire, including people who may not always see the railway as being “for them”, either as passengers or as future employees.

Those in the session were interested to hear about TrainEd’s work to inspire children and young people through school sessions, careers fairs, station visits and supported train journeys. The discussion also highlighted the importance of giving people the chance to talk to those already working in rail, so that careers in the industry feel more practical and achievable.

Events like this are a useful reminder that careers work is not only about giving people information. It is also about helping people feel welcome and able to take the next step.