A community-led initiative has helped 74 young people and 14 supporting adults build confidence in using public transport through a series of supported rail trips across Oxfordshire.
The project, called Getaway, is led by Oxfordshire Community Rail Partnership and funded by Oxfordshire County Council.
It supports children and young people aged 25 and under from Banbury and Abingdon, particularly those from underrepresented communities, to get outdoors, try new activities and gain practical travel experience.
Working with Banbury Mosque, Sunrise Multicultural Project, Abingdon DAMASCUS and Abingdon Muslim Community, the partnership organised six facilitated day trips using trains, buses and taxis.
Destinations included Willowbrook Farm, the Butterfly Farm, paintball activities in the Chilterns, footgolf in Didcot and a canal boat ride in Banbury. For many participants, it was their first time travelling by train.
Each trip began with travel training, giving young people the chance to navigate stations, find platforms, handle tickets and learn railway safety. Five of the six outings also included buses and taxis, helping participants gain confidence in planning multimodal journeys.
One participant said: “I’ve never travelled on the train before, but I feel a lot more confident now. I think I could do it again.”
Another added: “I liked that we got to figure things out ourselves. It made me feel more independent.”
Alayne McDonald said: “Our Getawayprogramme is about using the railway to empower young people’s independence, confidence and access to new opportunities. This work wouldn’t be possible without our valued community partners, who share our commitment to supporting young people’s health, wellbeing, and social connections.
“We are committed to continuing to support young people in our community to use the railway to access environments and experiences that may otherwise be out of reach.”
