Train Trip.

On Tuesday 13th August, a group from the charity Friends Without Borders (FWB) were taken on a day trip via train, by Lucy Lomax, Rail Officer from The Hampshire Community Rail Partnership. Our group of seven clients with seven children and two FWB volunteers were met at Portsmouth and Southsea train station by Lucy, along with Linda Barnard from South West Trains.
The idea of the trip was to introduce our clients to train travel and we started our journey at the ticket office learning how to purchase a ticket and use new vocabulary such as single or return ticket, how to read the electronic timetables and which platform to head for. Linda gave us platform safety advice such as staying behind the yellow line until the train stops and how to call for assistance.
We had wonderful sunny weather and it was a joy to travel through the countryside, with the children spotting cows and sheep from the windows as we headed to Petersfield. At Petersfield, we collected snacks and walked through the pretty town to the Heath for a picnic and games. On the way back we were treated to ice-creams, which were very welcome in the heat.
Our clients thoroughly enjoyed the day and Friends Without Borders would like to say a huge thank you to Lucy and Linda for giving us all this opportunity and experience. We hope that our clients will now feel more confident and equipped to undertake train travel in the future.