Huge fund to improve communities around railway stations opens for applicants in Sussex and Kent

The UK’s largest train operator, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), is looking for community groups and charities who want to make an impact in the communities it serves with the latest round of a huge grant fund which has already awarded £1.26m to a wide range of good causes.

The Brighton and Hove Food Partnership has said help from the half-million-pound railway fund has made life-changing improvements to the way people who attend its courses cook and eat.

The Brighton and Hove Food Partnership, said the funding has been crucial in helping people eat healthier, cut back on takeaways and even make more friends in classes held at its kitchen in Queens Road.

And now GTR, which operates Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express services in the region, is asking for more charities, community groups and social organisations to apply for its 2026/27 Your Station, Your Community fund.

The fund is in its fourth year having already offered £1.26m worth of support to causes which benefit charities, customers, and the communities across the length and breadth of the country’s largest railway network.

Organisations across Sussex and Kent are being asked to put in their bids for community projects which make a positive impact under the key themes of mental health, employability skills, diversity and inclusion, environmental sustainability and improving station environments.

The grant fund accepts bids up to £50,000 with an additional two Station Partner Support Grants for arts, creative, environmental and horticulture projects.

One of those charities was the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership, which has reached 50 participants through its Cooking in the Community project at Community Base in Queens Road.

GTR donated £10,000 to the organisation in the last round of funding, and six months on the Community Kitchen has said participants noticed an 81 per cent increase in their cooking confidence, a 25 per cent reduction in the number of takeaways they eat – with 44 per cent of people making more meals from scratch.

Jo Glazebrook, Brighton Community Kitchen Manager, said: “Your Station Your Community funding is enabling us to reach over 50 local residents through hands-on cooking sessions that build skills, confidence, and connection.

“Thanks to the funding, participants are cooking more from scratch, eating more vegetables, wasting less food, and feeling happier and more connected to others.

“The impact goes well beyond the kitchen — GTR’s support is helping people to eat well, save money, and improve their wellbeing.”

Applications for the 2026/27 fund close at midnight on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. Since the first round of funding opened in 2022 more than 862 bids have been submitted with an average award of £15,558.

Rob Whitehead, GTR's Community Engagement Manager said: “Over the past three years, the Your Station, Your Community fund has supported projects that have created amazing community impact and generated real social value.

“As a train company, we want to directly support and contribute to the wider communities we serve, be it through social work, encouraging new skills, or simply making somewhere a better place to be.

“I’m looking forward to hearing all your proposals to create change in the regions across our network.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

Applications close at Midnight on Tuesday, 9 December. Applications are open for bids up to £10,000. Bids between £10,001 and £50,000 must be discussed with GTR prior to an application being submitted.

The two Station Partner Support Grants must cover the whole GTR network.

Initiatives should be in and around stations served by Great Northern, Southern or Thameslink on the GTR network. The communities supported should be served by these stations. Priority will be given to bids for projects around stations managed by these brands.

For more information, and to apply, visit: Your station Your community Improvement Fund