LNER invests in making a positive difference to over 16 million people. | kbnmart

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LNER’s Customer and Community Investment Fund has had a positive impact on the lives of more than 16,000 people along its route, providing grants to 23 diverse projects stretching from London King’s Cross to the Scottish Highlands.

Initiatives that have received funding range from providing workshops for young adults with learning disabilities, to saving sensitive ecosystems and boosting salmon stocks in Scottish rivers.

Among the new recipients of CCIF funding is LifeCare Edinburgh, a Scottish charity that provides support services to older people, allowing them to be active at home and in the community.

Speaking about the funding, Sarah Van Putten, CEO of LifeCare Edinburgh, said: “The funding we have received from LNER’s Customer and Community Investment Fund will allow us to offer regular outings and activities within our day services and provide dedicated support activities for unpaid carers in the evenings and at weekends.

“These activities will have many positive impacts on the physical and mental health of the older people we support and their caregivers.”

The Henshaw Centre for Arts and Crafts in North Yorkshire has been able to build a dedicated multi-sensory room thanks to funding from the CCIF.

“The sensory room has been a wonderful addition to our center,” said Lisa Hart, president of the Henshaw Arts and Crafts Center.

Without the funding, we would not have been able to give 170 art makers, aged 18 to 80, the opportunity to explore their senses and better express themselves creatively.

We are very grateful to LNER for their support and encourage other charities to bid for funding.”

Rachel Wilson, LNER’s Community Investment Manager, said: “Our customers and the communities we serve are really important to us.

We are proud to be able to support over 130 charities, providing funding for great projects that have had and continue to have an incredible impact on people’s lives and the places around them.

“We look forward to receiving applications and supporting more projects in 2025.”