Railway Benefit Fund Thanks The UK Rail Industry For Their Support

Railway Benefit Fund (RBF) brought together corporate partners, supporters, staff, volunteers and friends on Tuesday 16 June for its very first Summer Networking Reception, held at the London offices of ARUP.

It was an afternoon with a clear purpose, to say thank you. RBF was open about what those partnerships mean in practice: without the support of the people in that room, the charity could not do what it does. “As a small team, everything we do at Railway Benefit Fund is only possible because of your support,” guests were told. “Our partnerships with the industry isn’t an add-on to our work, it is what makes our work possible.”

RBF took the opportunity to thank its corporate partners directly, recognising that their generosity is what makes it possible to reach railway colleagues facing the toughest of times. Looking after railway people, the charity said, is a shared responsibility, one that belongs to the whole industry, from operators and suppliers to charities and partners working side by side.

The scale of that work is significant. Last year, RBF supported over 500 railway workers and their families across the UK, generating £2.76 million in social value. More than £340,000 helped people avoid losing their homes, and over £280,000 prevented others from falling into serious financial difficulty. Two-thirds of those helped were current employees, and 65% were aged 50 and under; this is not a charity focused solely on retirees.

With Great British Railways approaching, RBF’s closing message was straightforward: however, the industry changes, the people who run it must not be an afterthought.