On Monday 2 December we hosted a parliamentary reception to celebrate how rail makes a positive difference to people’s lives up and down the West Coast Mainline, as we launched our Social Value report. 

It was great to have so many MPs, colleagues and industry partners in attendance, with speeches from the Chair of the Transport Select Committee Ruth Cadbury, our Managing Director Andy Mellors, Purpose Coalition Engagement Director Nick Forbes CBE, and our Social Value and Accessibility Manager Dr Theresa Robberts.

You can read more in our social value report.

As measured using the Rail Safety and Standards Board’s Rail Social Value Tool, last year we created £345 million in social value, an almost two-thirds increase on last year (£212 million). Over the last two years, we have created over half a billion pounds of social value – so we’re well on track to hit our target of £1 billion by 2031.

We’ve also made significant progress towards creating a better world, from cutting our carbon emissions to levelling the playing field for our people and all who want to work with us.

It was great to have our efforts recognised by the Rt Hon Justine Greening, Chair of the Purpose Coalition and former Secretary of State for Transport, who said “Avanti West Coast’s commitment to social impact and social value can be part of setting a benchmark for others in the industry”.

Key highlights from this year include:

• Enriching the lives of more than 8,000 children. Our schools engagement programme, Feel Good Field Trips and numerous station-led events focused on children within our communities, educating them about rail safety, equality and diversity and environmental issues. They were also encouraged to consider a career in rail.
• 76,633 customers supported through Passenger Assist. We have bolstered this service with the introduction of Travel Companion (an online message platform that puts customers directly in touch with staff ready to help) and GoodMaps (a wayfinding indoor GPS that helps customers find their way inside our stations).
• Station-led events supporting the communities we serve. We have more than doubled our social value impact in communities by supporting local organisations and charities. Our stations have played a key role by doubling the number of community events and programmes organised.

With our goal to become the leading train company in social value impact measurement, we are looking forward to a year with an abundance of opportunities to build sustainable communities and a resilient workforce. We will continue to work with leaders across sectors and industries to break down barriers to opportunity and deliver social value to the people and places that need it the most.