TransPennine Express donates over £50,000 to community projects

Rail operator TransPennine Express (TPE) has donated tens of thousands of pounds to community projects and charities across the North of England and Scotland as part of their Transform Grants Fund.

 Each year, TPE invite applications from many charities and community groups for the Transform Grants Fund, with over £50,000 available to support projects which tackle youth unemployment, improve the environment and promote social inclusion.

TPE received 74 applications for the Transform Grants funding, requesting more than £300,000 for various projects across the areas that TPE serve. Community projects across the North of England and Scotland were invited to apply for grants of up to £5,000 as part of the fund and the lucky recipients have now been confirmed after a public vote.

Winners include the Southgate Special Needs School in West Yorkshire, which will receive £5,000 for an outdoor adventure programme. The National Literacy Trust will also be benefitting from just over £4,900 for a book quest project and Whirlow Hall Farm Trust in Lincolnshire will be receiving £5,000 for a new learning centre.

Natasha Marsay, Accessibility and Integration Manager at TransPennine Express, said: “We’d like to thank everyone who took the time to submit an application to our Transform Fund. It was fantastic to see so many people take part in a public vote for their favourite project.

“Once again, we received a high standard of submissions for the funding and I’m delighted that so many projects across our local communities we serve will benefit from the Transform Fund, especially in this current climate where many charities and community projects are facing the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. As a company, we all can’t wait to see how each project benefits from our support.”

Ben Walker, DofE Award Leader, Outdoor Education Co-ordinator at Southgate School said “We have an outdoor adventure programme and we allow children the opportunity to do a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, spending time away from home, opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t get the chance to do, including qualifications. Southgate School is extremely grateful for the grant and it will help us offer these opportunities for a while.”