SWR continues major investment in communities through Customer and Communities Improvement Fund

SOUTH Western Railway (SWR) has announced a £400,000 investment in 15 community projects through its Customers and Communities Improvement Fund (CCIF).

With a further £400,000 in match funding, it takes SWR’s total investment through CCIF to more than £7.5 million since 2018.

The 2024/25 CCIF scheme supports projects that will provide a local community benefit or address an area of social need. Funding has been awarded to a wide range of activities, from developing a new community centre that will encourage exercise and healthier living in Pinhoe, Devon, to teaching cycling mechanics to under-represented groups in Hounslow, London.

Individual CCIF grants range from just a few thousand pounds to tens of thousands. On the Isle of Wight, £3,300 has been awarded to Vectis Radio, for an initiative that helps young people to build their confidence and improve their communication skills by learning the key areas of radio communication.

A grant of just under £20,000 to Oasis Hub Mayfield, allows them to purchase a Youth Outreach Van which will be used to in their work with young people at risk of antisocial behaviour or suicide around three train stations in the east of Southampton.

At the other end of the scale, the largest grant of £50,000 will help Portsmouth City Council link the Hilsea Linear Park – the UK’s longest urban park - with Hilsea railway station. The project will improve journeys for both commuters and the local community by installing CCTV and improving lighting and wayfinding signs.

All of the projects to be awarded funding, which have been submitted by charities, community groups and local authorities, will be completed by the end of April 2025.

Peter Williams, South Western Railway’s Customer and Commercial Director, said:

“We’re proud to support this year’s 15 projects through our CCIF fund, which from 2018 has awarded more than £7.5 million in funding to over 100 projects that share our vision of seeing local communities thrive.

“From community hubs and cycle clubs, initiatives that promote physical well-being, to funding full-time outreach workers, CCIF provides investment for important local projects that make a real difference to people in towns and villages across our network.

“Every year we're inspired by the passionate people and hard work that go into each of these projects and we really look forward to seeing the results that the completed projects will have in their communities".