From gardening to women’s safety – Train company hands out grants worth £300k to community projects across Beds, Herts and Cambs

Communities across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire are benefiting from a huge £300,000 fund shared by the country’s largest train operator.

Women from marginalised communities in and around Bedford will be empowered to defend themselves at several free sessions held by the Asian Sports Foundation, and streets near Luton Station will be spruced up with plants by Edible High Town volunteers.

The self-defence sessions will equip women with skills to feel safer and more confident in their daily journeys, while improving their health and wellbeing as part of a £10,000 grant from Thameslink and Great Northern’s Your Station, Your Community fund.

Shazia Ali, Asian Sports Foundation CEO said: “At the Asian Sports Foundation, we are committed to creating safer, stronger communities. Right now many women and girls tell us they don’t feel safe walking alone, a reality which impacts confidence and daily lives. Our programme will deliver culturally aware, self-defence training combined with confidence-building techniques. By teaching practical skills, fostering peer support and connecting participants, we will reduce fear, increase resilience, and enable lasting change in their lives and the community.

“Thanks to GTR the grant allows the programme to be accessible for all women and girls locally. All sessions will be led by female coaches and success will be measured by participant-reported increases in confidence and safety and improved wellbeing.”

The weekly classes are due to begin in the summer once the charity has engaged with a range of community organisations in the area. Asian Sports Foundation will bring its understanding and expertise around cultural understanding and nuances to incorporate into the delivery of the programme and work closely with the community as it does this.

Each hour long session is open to women and girls of all ages and abilities and is focused on those who may not have considered picking up a sport, or engaging in similar activities before owing to cultural, societal or financial barriers.

It is hoped the sessions will not just improve the feeling of safety through building self confidence , but also tackle the increasing issue of loneliness and isolation and encourage greater community and social cohesion

John Whitehurst, GTR's Chief Executive Officer said: “Your Station, Your Community is about listening to local people and working with them to bring their ideas to life. Every year we’re inspired by the creativity of the groups involved and the difference their projects make locally.

Our railway exists to bring communities closer together, and we’re incredibly proud of the role our grant recipients play in strengthening the places we serve. I can’t wait to see this year’s projects come to life."

In April, GTR, the parent company which operates Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express published its new Sustainability Strategy, with a focus on rail being at the heart of communities.

The train operator has handed out grants amounting to £300,000 in this year’s round of Your Station, Your Community funding across its huge network, roughly the size of Belgium, from Bedford to Brighton and everywhere in between.

£9,999 has also been handed to the Edible High Town and Hope Church Luton Trust to organise gardening sessions sprucing up underused public green spaces on routes leading to and from Luton railway station – with plants growing produce for the community to enjoy.

Elsewhere in the region, the Cam Valley Community Rail Partnership will be using £1,210 from the fund to extend a wildflower verge on the path between Melbourn and Meldreth station.

Addiction charity The Living Room, in Hertfordshire, has received £10,000 to support group recovery programmes in Stevenage and host public information events within the railway station focused on opening up about mental health and encourage people to seek help early.

ENDS

Notes to Editor