An Avanti West Coast Community Champion has won the prestigious Unsung Hero prize at this year’s Women in Rail Awards.

Laura Warwick, who is a Team Leader at Runcorn station, was presented with the award for her community work to support the wider Runcorn, Widnes and Halton areas.

She has delivered many social initiatives across the region, including leading her own idea to transform the waiting room at Runcorn into a joint-function space to support community events.

In addition, she regularly speaks at local schools on Rail Safety and she is an avid supporter of Avanti West Coast’s “Feel-good Field Trips” initiative.

As part of the programme, she works closely with the local council and the Tate Gallery in Liverpool to arrange fun days out for children from disadvantaged school districts who might not otherwise be able to afford the experience.

Laura is a huge advocate for mental health awareness and has set up a weekly well-being drop-in session at Runcorn station alongside local peer support group, ‘It’s Good 2 Talk’.

She is also fully trained in direct suicide prevention interventions, and only recently as last year, Laura identified a vulnerable woman at risk and made sure she received the care she needed.