It was full steam ahead for the Milford Haven Macular Society Support Group after they were invited to take part in a Familiarisation Day organised by Transport for Wales.
Members of the group got onboard for the hour-long journey from Milford Haven to Carmarthen to test some of the assisted travel services available to passengers.
The group was accompanied by Geraint Morgan, community affairs manager at Transport for Wales. Geraint recently visited the group at one of its monthly meetings to talk to its members about the support on offer to anyone using the train who has a visual impairment.
The trip was one of many events taking place throughout the UK as part of Macular Week, which runs from 24-30 June.
Macular disease is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK. Nearly 1.5 million people are currently affected and many more are at risk.
For more information about assisted travel services available from Transport for Wales, please visit: https://tfwrail.wales/accessible-travel/booking-assistance
The Milford Haven Macular Society Support Group meets on the first Thursday of the month, from 2-4pm, at Milford Haven Library & Information Centre, Cedar Court, Havens Head Business Park, Milford Haven SA73 3LS.
For more information about the group, please contact Adele Francis, Macular Society regional manager, on01639 843236 / 07494 468007, or email adele.francis@macularsociety.org
What did the officials say?
Madeline Roberts, leader of the Milford Haven Macular Society Support Group, said:
“When Geraint asked us if we'd like to see how the assisted travel service works, we thought it was a great idea.
“I travel by train a lot myself, but many of our group don't use it regularly or haven't travelled by rail for a long time. For some of them, it's simply because they just haven't felt confident enough to do it. But there's so much help and assistance available if you need it and nothing is too much trouble for the staff.
“It was also great that we could do this during Macular Week and use the opportunity to raise awareness of macular disease and spread the word to as many people while we were out and about.”
Geraint Morgan, community affairs manager at Transport for Wales, said:
“For many people with sight loss, public transport is an important means of being able to travel – for work, for leisure or meeting family and friends. The objective of our assisted travel talks and familiarisation trips is to help raise awareness of the assistance that can be provided when travelling by train.”
“The familiarisation trips offer an opportunity for people to experience a journey by train with the aim of giving everybody the knowledge and confidence to travel again in the future.”
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