SWR and Elior celebrate 150 years of Action for Children with voluntary donation scheme

• Action for Children  celebrates its 150th anniversary this week
• To mark this special anniversary, SWR customers can make a voluntary donation when they purchase refreshments from onboard catering service (until Sunday 14 July)

South Western Railway (SWR) is partnering with onboard catering company Elior to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Action for Children.

For every food or drink sale made through the week, customers will be given the option to then make an additional voluntary donation to Action for Children.

The money raised will go directly to Action for Children, which is FirstGroup’s chosen charity.

Amy Dickinson, Environment Manager for South Western Railway, said:

“It’s great news that customers can donate to such a good cause on this very special week. Action for Children is very close to our hearts and that’s why initiatives like this mean such a lot. We know our customers are always keen to help out where they can with good causes and we’d like to thank Elior for driving this forward and enabling the technology to make this happen.”

JoAnne Robertson Regional Managing Director for Elior, said:-

“Elior are delighted to be supporting this campaign and such a great charity. Hopefully with the generosity of customers we can help make a real difference on behalf of Action for Children.”

Julie Bentley, Chief Executive for Action for Children, said:

“What we want is for every child and young person in the country to have a safe and happy childhood with the foundations they need to thrive and we are incredibly grateful to South Western Railway customers for their generous on-board donations this week to celebrate Action for Children’s 150th anniversary. All of the funds raised will enable Action for Children to continue providing essential mental health support to children who desperately need our help.”

Since April 2018, FirstGroup has been working alongside Action for Children to support young people on their journey to better mental health. With one in eight children suffering from a diagnosable mental health issue, early intervention is essential, and FirstGroup’s fundraising has enabled the charity to fund a mental health practitioner working directly with families at Action for Children’s services.

As well as the Elior donation initiative, SWR staff are running local events across the network (both public-facing and for staff) such as dress-down days, raffle sales and baking competitions.