Four Derbyshire charities receive support from Alstom Community Project Fund

Twelve charities and community-led projects across the two countries will share more than £125,000, including four in Derbyshire. Alstom employees are also encouraged to use their annual volunteering day to offer additional support to the beneficiaries.

Alstom, global leader in smart and sustainable mobility, has announced the recipients of its UK and Ireland 2024 Community Project Fund (CPF). Twelve charities and community-led projects across the two countries will share more than £125,000, including four in Derbyshire. Alstom employees are also encouraged to use their annual volunteering day to offer additional support to the beneficiaries.

Alstom’s CPF aims to fund projects that deliver social and environmental value for the local communities in which the company operates in. This year, the CPF will support projects as varied as social mobility, elderly welfare, youth mental health and suicide prevention.

Staff are encouraged to nominate good causes as part of the annual funding cycle and then work with a charity or community group to complete an application for up to £30,000 (€35,000). A senior panel then reviews applications against a robust criteria and, if successful, the project sponsor continues to support the individual scheme through delivery.

“Our Community Project Fund was established in 2022 to financially support charity and community group projects with an annual funding cycle, plus encourage employee volunteer support. Since then, we have supported 32 different projects with a total value of over £435,000, benefitting over 20,000 community members local to our 37 sites across the UK and Ireland,” said Rebecca Taylor, Head of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility at Alstom UK and Ireland.

She added: “What makes the Community Project Fund so special is that our colleagues are involved every step of the way, championing causes they care about and supporting delivery on the ground. It’s a brilliant example of how our people and our purpose come together to deliver positive change within the communities we serve.”

One of the Derbyshire beneficiaries of Alstom CPF is Bridge the Gap, an emotional health hub offering daily walk-in support with the aim of reducing rates of self-harm and crises among young people and children. Alstom funding will support a Duty Worker who can work with a young person to explore strategies dependent on mental health requirements, and signpost to relevant resources and activities.

“We are delighted to have been selected for Alstom UK and Ireland’s Community Project Fund. This funding will support our ongoing ‘Derby Cares’ campaign, enabling us to provide free, drop-in support sessions twice a week,” said Louisa Hutton, Digital Marketing Designer at Bridge the Gap.

She added: “These drop-ins offer immediate advice for children and families, covering emotional regulation, anger, anxiety, general well-being, and signposting for mental health concerns. This funding will make a real difference in ensuring accessible mental health support for our community in Derby.”

Elsewhere, Meynell Langley Hall in Ashbourne provides hands-on outdoor learning within STEM topics in the heart of the countryside by a qualified teacher. The funding from Alstom will purchase essential equipment to enhance primary and secondary school visits and provide transport for disadvantaged schools to connect students with the environment, sparking a love for nature, learning and an understanding of eco-friendly habits.

Meanwhile, Young Engineers and Scientists of Derbyshire (YESD) are to receive support from Alstom’s CPF for their annual competition. This one-day science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) challenge is open to 100 Year 7 to 12 students in Derbyshire each year. This year, teams of three students will be designing, making and testing a rail themed challenge to customer specifications in celebration of Railway 200, with professional guidance and raw materials ‘bought’ from a ‘shop’. Teams will be judged on the most innovative, environmentally friendly and successful products.

“The money we receive will help us update the resources and materials we have available for the Derbyshire students, as well as to continue to improve our competition day for the students who attend. This year we are adopting a rail theme competition to celebrate 200 Years of the Modern Railway, so it is fantastic to have Alstom support for this iconic year,” said Amy Ogden, Committee Member at YESD.

YESD formed in 1979 and Amy herself attended as a Derby school pupil before volunteering with the programme alongside her role as Industrial Designer at Alstom’s Litchurch Lane Works. Derby Litchurch Lane is one of the world’s largest rolling stock factories, and the only UK facility that designs, engineers, builds and tests trains for domestic and export markets. The factory was opened by the Midland Railway in 1876 and the city of Derby has been building trains continually since 1839.

Finally, funding from Alstom was able to support Derby Food 4 Thought Alliance (DF4TA). With the city containing some of the most economically deprived areas in the country, this project gifted 300 families a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings and pudding – plus mince pies and chocolates – so that parents didn’t have to choose between presents, heating or food for their family.

“We are extremely grateful for the funding we have received from Alstom; it is invaluable to our Christmas project, without it we would not be able to provide the 300 cooked Christmas day meals and desserts to members of the community who would otherwise go without,” said Debbie Jones, Project Coordinator at DF4TA.

She added: “The team of volunteers that also come along and support is a great help, and they have no problem with rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck in with peeling, chopping and the rolling of stuffing balls. I hope we have not put them off Christmas dinner for life!”

In 2023, Alstom’s CPF supported 11 projects which tackled multiple social and environmental challenges to a total value of nearly £160,000 (€183,000). Recipients included SV2 – Supporting Victims of Sexual Violence, Derby community store Reach and Young Enterprise.