About Govia Thameslink Railway

We want to support young people across our entire network. See how our different programmes are working to do that

Because youth matters
Thousands of young people rely on us every day to get to their school, activities and meet their friends, but there are countless others who don’t get the opportunities they deserve. We can have a huge impact on their lives by helping to put them on the right track, by supporting:

Youth groups and activities that build their development
Work experience and training opportunities to open doors to a wider demographic
Education to use our trains safely

Helping to tackle a national issue
The number of people sleeping on the streets in Britain has increased substantially in the past few years, but rough sleeping is just the most visible part of a much wider homelessness pandemic, with many people using foodbanks on a daily basis. We have a large role to play to support our communities, who provide support for people in need. What we can do to help is make the most of our network, used by thousands of people each day, to reach those who are willing to help. We pledge to support our local partners, including:

Foodbanks and kitchens
Homeless provisions and prevention services
Fundraising initiatives
Our teams have held food banks, donation drives, fundraising cake sales, and helped out in the kitchen at local shelters.

Studies show that 1 in 4 people are impacted by mental health issues at some point in their lives.

As a business it is important that we can recognise the signs when someone is in trouble – to reach out and help our customers, communities and colleagues who may be dealing with mental health issues.

We are pleased to partner with Mind – the national mental health charity, as one of our three corporate charity partners for two years. We will be working closely with them to fundraise and raise awareness of mental health. Find out more about Mind.

We also work closely with the Samaritans and host annual ‘Have a brew' events, as well as promoting general health and wellbeing for our teams. But we want to do more, such as:

Expanding our try-a-train programme that encourages people to feel confident travelling by train
Fundraising for organisations and charities that support positive mental health
Provide a platform for organisations to raise awareness of mental health and general health care

We believe in doing business in a responsible way – serving our passengers and benefiting the communities around our stations. Take a look at the many ways we do this.

Transforming lives and communities
Everything we do as a railway is about connecting people, and providing the pathways that improve their lives. But we want to be at the heart of the communities we serve in more ways than one.

As a business we have real power to make a huge impact in transforming lives and communities. We know many of our people and customers are incredibly passionate about their local area and how they can make them a better place to live and work.

We will focus on making a real difference in three important areas of society: Young people, Homelessness and Mental Health & Healthcare. We will do this by continuing to build close relationships with community groups and charity organisations, providing support and opportunities to address these issues.

Take a look at the many ways we do this.