South Western Railway (SWR) is continuing its support for community projects around its network with an investment of more than £500,000 through its Customers and Communities Improvement Fund (CCIF).
This year, SWR will fund 19 local projects, and match funding raised by the projects will bring the total invested to over £1.1 million this year. Since the first round of funding in 2018, SWR’s CCIF fund has awarded over £8.6 million to over 100 projects.
Funding has been awarded to activities that vary greatly in scope as well as location. In London, SWR will be supporting a creative skills programme to increase confidence and direction for underrepresented young people in Lambeth who are not in employment, education or training.
In Dorset, funding will be used to start to convert the station house at Sherborne station into a community hub.
The amount that projects have bid for from CCIF this year varies widely with grants ranging from £10,000 to £63,000. Mustard Seed Autism Trust in Hampshire will use the £10,000 for their Super Sensory Kids programme, which supports autistic children who have sensory processing and motor skills difficulties through specialist occupational therapy.
The largest grant of this round of funding is going to South Bank BID, to fund the delivery of a 12-month Youth Outreach pilot in and around Waterloo station. The £60,000 award will support a full-time worker who will identify and safeguard young people under the age of 18, who are missing from home, rough sleeping and at risk of criminal or sexual exploitation.
All the projects to be awarded funding, which have been submitted variously by charities, community groups and local authorities, are short-term schemes which should be completed by the end of April 2026.
Peter Williams, South Western Railway’s Customer and Commercial Director, said:
“We’ve been amazed by the number and variety of initiatives that have applied for grants from CCIF this year and it’s been a difficult job to narrow it down to the 19 projects that we’re supporting.
“These projects will make a difference in communities all around our network and help people from Waterloo to Weymouth and
“Over the last eight years, we have invested more than £8.6 million in a wide range of community-based projects through CCIF. The work that the groups and charities we fund do to support their local areas can never be underestimated and it’s important to us that these CCIF grants can help to make life better for people in towns, villages and cities across the south west.”
Sarah Clements, Co-founder at Mustard Seed Autism Trust, said:
“We are thrilled to receive a grant of £10,000 from the South Western Railway Customer and Communities Improvement Fund to support our work with local families. This funding will enable us to deliver our Super Sensory Kids project which supports the physical and sensory needs of autistic children. We are incredibly grateful for this funding and the impact it will have on the children's physical and mental health."
Derek Beer, Chair of Blackmore Vale CRP, said:
“It is really good news for Sherborne and North Dorset that we can now proceed with the project to bring back Sherborne station house into use, benefiting not just rail users but also the wider community.
“This project offers the opportunity to work with stakeholders to provide much needed services to the area, at the same time as improving the passenger environment.
“A careful approach is needed to make sure that we make the most of this opportunity to ensure that the outcomes are of the greatest benefit to as many people as possible, at the same time as being sustainable in the long term.
“We are grateful to SWR for their support and commitment to improving facilities in this part of Dorset “
