LNER's staff and passengers have raised another two hundred thousand pounds for suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). This brings the total that the publicly-run operator has raised for CALM so far to £550,000.
In October last year, LNER and CALM marked five years of their partnership by launching a liveried train named ‘You Belong'. The operator and charity chose the name because creating a sense of belonging is an important part of deterring people from wanting to take their own life. The train travels along LNER's 956-mile route promoting the charity and creating a sense of belonging is a key part of protecting everyone across the UK against suicide.
By October 2021, the partnership between LNER and CALM had raised over three hundred thousand pounds, and by August the following year had hit four hundred thousand. Now entering its sixth calendar year, the partnership has included several fundraising initiatives:
- Between October and December last year, passengers donated money from their ‘Delay Repay' compensation and credit earned through the Perks loyalty scheme and LNER match-funded their donations to the tune of £10,000.
- LNER workers have raised money by taking part in the Great North Run,and CALM's Lost House Walk.
- Heritage LNER nameplates, including Highland Chieftain, raised thousands of pounds at auction.
LNER passengers can continue to donate to CALM using their LNER Perks credit or Delay Repay compensation. Further information is available here.
David Horne, Managing Director at LNER, said: “We would like to say a big thank you to our customers and colleagues for their continued support for CALM. Each week, 125 lives are lost to suicide and CALM is there for anyone who's struggling, providing life-saving services every day of the year to ensure no-one ever feels like there's nowhere to turn. We are proud to support their work and helpline which offers crucial support when people need it.”
Simon Gunning, CEO at Campaign Against Living Miserably, said: “We receive 28,000 calls into our helpline every month. That means we answer a call for help every 59 seconds. And demand keeps growing. With LNER's continued support, which has now seen over £550,000 raised during our partnership, our lifesaving helpline can be there for those that need us. That's enough to answer 68,750 potentially lifesaving calls. Thank you to everyone at LNER and their incredible customers”
