Retired Rail Community

Events to bring the community together

RBF’s Retired Rail Community events, provide an opportunity for retired railway people to get together, share stories and look back on their time in rail.

Our research with railway pensioners highlighted that retirement can often be isolating for railway people, especially with many community and railway groups closing following the pandemic.

“I had been looking forward to this event for weeks and I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon. It was really comforting to meet with people who spoke my language and could relate to my experiences working in rail. Loneliness is a real issue amongst the retired community, but events such as this help us to get out and about and meet new people.”

Attendee from pilot event, November 2022

“My first job was in rail so it’s an industry I love and continue to support. Rail has changed enormously in the last 50 years, which is why it is so important to connect with those who share memories from the days gone by. Loneliness amongst pensioners has worsened since the pandemic, which is why we are keen to support the retired community and help combat this issue.”

RBF President, Pete Waterman

Upcoming Events

Retired Rail Community Event – Crewe

20th May, 2024

The Railway Benefit Fund (RBF) are hosting an event for the retired rail community. Bringing railway workers together for some…

I’m finding it really helpful. I sometimes go a long time without anyone to talk to and it’s very hard. I’m 94 and meeting new people is difficult, so check in and chat in my own home with a lovely lady to talk to is fantastic. I still manage to get to town to run my errands, although at my age I don’t run! But the casual conversations I have with shop keepers are nothing like the calls, which are much more personal and involved.

Words cannot describe how grateful I am for the help and support this charity has given us, before this I felt so hopeless and worried about the future, it has been a really tough, stressful year but I now have some sense of positivity that things will get easier and that wouldn’t have happened without RBF’s support.

When I approached the RBF, I felt hopeless and that I had no chance of ever paying off all my debts. I sent in my application asking for support with my council tax and energy bills, and the charity provided me with a grant to finally pay off these debts. Since receiving this support, I feel so happy and relieved.