1205 16 btl newspaper issue 14 online

Spring, 2014

HOLIDAY OFFERS

Put a spring in your step!

The award-winning newspaper for everyone at London Midland Exclusive

Ambassador Awards special See page 7

WELL TYDY! See page 11

Trackside

See page 13

Between the Lines has been touring the network with our new Heads of Route.

Turn to page 4 to read more about them, and how they’re working with you to improve performance and customer experience…

GOT A STORY? CONTACT US AT btl@londonmidland.cOM

2

Spring, 2014

INSIDE

News Improve My Cab Well Tydy The Numbers Inbox Offers and Competition The Last Word

2 6 11 11 12 13 16

WELCOME

To this bumper special edition of Between the Lines.

We’ve listened to your feedback and you told us that you wanted to know more about our new Heads of Route. So Between the Lines has toured the network with our four new colleagues to learn more about them. Turn to p4-5 to find out more.

We’re also bringing you a four-page special on the Annual Ambassador Awards event held in Birmingham this February. We’re sharing all of our winners’ stories and you can read more about our Ambassador of the Year on p7-10.

Check out p13 for a great reader offer and competition, and p14-15 for the latest social and fundraising news including London Midland Giving updates and some exciting activities you can take part in to raise money for Railway Children.

Finally, librarian turned London Midland RTA Peter Chapman, reveals his lifelong passion for the railway on p16.

Read me online at

www.btlmagazine.co.uk

5 1

LIVE Around the busines

GOOD NEWS

The Passenger Focus Autumn 2013 National Passenger results are in , and it’s encouraging news for us.

The results tell us how our customers feel about London Midland.

What they feel is crucial to our success.

The more we do to give them a good experience, the more likely they are to use us again and recommend us to their friends.

Overall, we’re making progress, and your hard work and our Strong Foundations programme is helping. But there’s still much more to do.

We’ve seen a three per cent improvement in customer satisfaction since spring 2013, which means Strong Foundations is having a positive impact. Across the whole of the network, more than eight out of ten

(84 per cent) of our customers are satisfied with the service we provide. We’re also one per cent better than the national average of all train companies.

Since spring 2013, 21 individual scores have improved, seven have declined. How our customers feel about London Midland is all of our responsibility, because we all, in some way, have an impact on our customers.

Running trains on time is critical. But we know that the customer service we provide on board and at stations has a huge impact too. Our Heads of Route and Functions are looking in more detail at the results, and will be working with you to identify where we can further improve.

Read the report at www.passengerfocus.org.uk/research/publications/ national-rail-passenger-survey-autumn-2013-main-report

3

2

Winning ways

GET IN TOUCH This is your paper. If you’d like something including, please get in touch. We’re looking to hear from individuals or teams with a story to tell. Are you working on something new, different or interesting? What do you do in your spare time? What matters to you at work? What do you want to know more or less about?

Contact Between the Lines by...

@ %

EMAIL: btl@londonmidland.com CALL:

0121 654 1131

If you are emailing from home, do leave your name so we know who to get back in touch with.

Newsroom launch We’ve launched a new digital n e w s ro o m to provide the media with all of the latest company news and information.

It’s designed to work on both desktop and smart devices, so is ideal for busy journalists on the go who can sign up to receive

news alerts straight to their email inbox. The site, managed by our Communications Team, will help to improve engagement with the media and key stakeholders. But if you’re interested, you can also sign up to receive our press releases and other important updates. Visit newsroom.londonmidland.com

We’re celebrating scooping a handful of awards at the Rail Business Awards and Institute of Internal Communication Awards.

London Midland won two awards for Project 110 at the Rail Business Awards in London in February.

For the fifth year in a row we picked up ‘Marketing Campaign of the Year’, and our fleet and engineering team received an Engineering and Fleet Excellence Award for Project 110, in conjunction with Siemens.

We also picked up a highly commended award for our ‘Kate Escape’ campaign – an initiative that saw rail tickets discounted by 8.6 per cent, in line with the 8lb 6oz birth weight of Prince George.

And your newspaper Between the Lines won another gong with an Award of Excellence in the ‘Best Newspaper’ category from the Institute of Internal Communication in Leicester. This award recognises Between the Lines as one of the best internal communication publications in the central region.

Spring, 2014

Crime stoppers

ss in five STORIES

Reports from the courts.

Survey (NPS)

Zero tolerance

A man who was removed from a train for fare evasion, and subsequently assaulted a London Midland colleague, was sentenced to 80 hours community service, fined £160 with £60 costs and ordered to pay £100 compensation to our colleague.

A man who evaded paying his fare and abused and spat at a London Midland colleague at Watford Junction was sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge, fined £85 and ordered to pay £75 compensation to our colleague.

4

A warm welcome to…

PROVIDING LEADERSHIP TO our conductors is Sean McBroom, who joins us from First Great Western where he was Regional Manager.

Sean started working life as a Booking Officer at Leighton Buzzard, later moving into station management roles for Silverlink and National Express.

He left the railway for 18 months, but he missed the people and fastpaced working environment, and returned as Regional Manager and RPI Team Manager.

At London Midland, he’ll be setting targets and goals for conductor teams that focus on customer service, revenue protection and performance.

“When people understand their role, where they fit in the organisation, how they make a difference and have goals to work

towards, it is empowering and motivating. You wouldn’t send footballers on to a pitch without goals – they’d just play with the ball all day! I want our conductors and managers to feel valued, have a positive impact on each other and our customers and to be able to measure their own performance.

I’m looking at the way we work and how we can empower people and recognise good performance, based on measurable results.”

3

Another fare evader who racially abused a London Midland colleague at Milton Keynes was found guilty of racially aggravated section 5 and fined £150 with £85 costs, and ordered to pay £50 compensation to our colleague.

5 ’Appy travel We’ve launched a new and free journey planning app for customers.

London Midland On Track is the easiest and quickest way for customers to plan and access real-time UK train information anywhere at anytime.

It will find their nearest train station, save popular journeys, and it’s easy to use.

Other features and benefits include: real-time arrival and departure boards, platform information, London Underground and Overground live service overview, live disruption information with alternative travel options, buy train tickets on the go and collect from a station within two hours, pay for car parking at London Midland, Southern and Southeastern managed train stations, and customers can interact with @LondonMidland whilst in the app. People can also contact our Customer Service team and submit a Delay Repay form.

Customers can still use our existing iPhone app, but it’s being phased out.

If you want the new app, or to help customers find it, go to the Apple iTunes app store or Google Play and search ‘London Midland’.

4

Spring, 2014

The right track Every second counts Head of Cross City Mark Goodall wants colleagues and teams across our busiest commuter routes to make a real difference to our customers’ lives.

Customers first Head of Regional Services David Whitley is passionate about customer service. In his previous role as Head of Marketing, he was probably best known for setting up and managing our award-winning London Midland Twitter account, before becoming a Head of Route.

In last year’s Spring Survey just over half of you believed that customer service was an important priority for the business. It is a huge priority.

So, we are demonstrating we have listened by investing in these new roles.

“We all want to be happy at work, and for our customers to be happy with London Midland services,” says David. “But, on our regional routes, punctuality is a real issue, with fewer than 8/10 trains running to time along our Hereford, Liverpool and Shrewsbury lines.

That means around 120,000 customers are delayed every month on these services, which is far from a positive experience for them or our on board teams. To address this, I’m spending time with colleagues, managers, and

industry partners, including Network Rail, to understand the root causes of our delays, and how we tackle them.

I’m also speaking with customers and analysing satisfaction data to see how we can improve their journeys.

It’s often the small things that make a big difference, and I’m looking forward to pulling those ideas together to improve our performance.

“To help me do that I need colleagues to have open and honest discussions with me about how I can help. I’ll be spending time on the network, so if you see me on the train or at the station, please say hello and share your thoughts and ideas.”

David is also keen to improve the information we provide to colleagues. “Getting the right

information to our people at the right time is vital, something we learnt very quickly on Twitter.

If you can keep your customers informed, you put them back in control of their journey, and that makes for a less stressful experience all round!”

David has also been working with his fellow Heads of Route to improve our established ‘Meet the Manager’ events.

“Rather than just focusing on Birmingham and London, we’ll be reaching out to communities at smaller locations across the network, and running more online sessions.

“I’m really looking forward to championing our routes and highlighting all the good work that’s being achieved day in, day out. We’ve much to be proud of, but there’s plenty more to do!”

Get in touch with David l 07711 950 093 l david.whitley@londonmidland.com

Conductor Tim Mason says: People like me are at the ‘coal face’ of London Midland. We’re the first to hear what our customers are happy with, and to get the flack when they’re not. So, it’s good to know that David is representing our routes, and I’ll be giving him the customer feedback I hear to see if he can help with, for example, an ongoing problem with lack of toilets on the Liverpool to Birmingham routes.

“Frontline colleagues will know that train delays don’t just affect people’s journeys, but they can affect their lives. I’ve spoken to commuters who say that, because they’re often late, due to train delays or cancellations, they are on ‘last warnings’ at work.

For others, delays make them continually late home and they don’t see their children before bedtime.

Our performance can be better and I want to work with teams to ensure that, wherever we can, we help you to deliver great services and make a positive difference to customers’ lives.”

Mark has three priority areas: l Performance – when we lose time (even a minute) it has a ‘ripple effect’ across routes, and the whole business.

Mark is working to bring teams together to reduce lost time. l Information – customers need to receive information quickly when problems arise, so they can make better decisions. There’s nothing worse than sitting on a train that’s not moving and not knowing what’s going on. Mark will work within the organisation to improve information flow to customers. l Safety and security – increasing BTP, Safer Travel Partnership and

London Midland colleague presence along the route, and reducing ticketless travel.

“When we show customers we care and try to help them, they respond well. I want to help everyone to really own our service and use all the tools we can to connect with customers.”

Mark has created crossfunctional teams around colleague engagement, performance and customer service to identify priorities for improvements. A former Station Manager at Birmingham New Street and London Midland Account Director at Network Rail, he knows our network well, and has close partnerships with stakeholders, including Lee Gordon from the Safer Travel Partnership (pictured).

“We have the will to enhance people’s journeys, and I’ll be working hard to ensure we have the means.

I want everyone to recognise that to run a punctual service, every second counts and I’ll do all I can to enable us to run a right-time railway. I welcome thoughts, opinions, ideas and feedback from everyone on our Cross City and Cannock lines.”

Get in touch with Mark l 07816 178 644 l mark.goodall@londonmidland.com

Spring, 2014

Four new senior management roles have been created, tasked with improving performance, customer satisfaction and helping all of us to provide quality journeys for everyone. But what does that mean for you? Between the Lines spent the day touring the network with our Heads of Route, to find out more.

Raising our profile Working with stakeholders and raising our profile are also crucial, as Head of West Coast Services Barrie Cottam explains…

Boosting performance Head of Snow Hill Services Terry Oliver joins us on secondment from Network Rail. Terry has over 30 years’ rail experience including senior management responsibility for the West Coast Main Line.

“I see this as a great opportunity to help teams along the Snow Hill route really boost performance, safety and customer satisfaction.

“I realise that the ‘Heads of Route’ role is a new concept for people. We’re not here to replace your managers.

We’re here to look at the bigger picture and see how we can help make life easier for you and your managers. When we deliver punctual services, and the experiences our customers have with colleagues is good, customer satisfaction improves. Performance and customer satisfaction go hand in hand.

“I’m proud that on this route performance is pretty good.

Consistently, 9/10 of our trains are on time. It can always be better, but it takes hard work from a lot of people to achieve this performance and I want to thank colleagues who help make that happen.

“We do sometimes ‘fall down’ when we experience delays, particularly big incidents, caused by a fatality, for example. We can’t always control the things that impact on performance, cause delays, cancellations and upset our customers, but we can control

how we respond to them to minimise their negative impact.

“We have set up a Route Delivery Group to supplement the already successful Snow Hill Performance Improvement Group. The aim of these groups is to better understand why we lose 10 per cent of our performance a day, find more ways to improve customer satisfaction, and actively promote colleague engagement. A key activity we are investigating is looking into relaxing ‘permissive working restrictions’ at Snow Hill station. This will allow us to operate more than one train in platforms at a time and greatly aid us during disruption, and better support events like football.

Longer-term it could allow us to operate a more flexible timetable in the future. So, I’m working with Network Rail and Chiltern Railways to see if this is possible.

“I am the voice of customers along this route, and I also want to be a voice for colleagues. You know the issues and obstacles that prevent you from delivering great service, so I hope that I’ll be able to listen, offer advice and help make things better.”

Get in touch with Terry l 07583 571 978 l terry.oliver@londonmidland.com

“I’m working closely with local authorities, user groups and London TravelWatch, as well as colleagues and customers to enable our teams to improve our train service and manage disruption.

“At the moment we’re performing at around 80 per cent, and we need to be closer to 90. Many of our train services run between five and ten minutes late, and learning why and looking at how we tackle that is my number one priority.

“I’m committed to reducing any barriers to better performance wherever possible. So, I’ll be talking to our traincrew and station teams, and stakeholders to identify causes, barriers, and working with everyone to improve that.

“I also want to raise our profile along the route, and particularly at Euston station. For too long, we’ve been seen as the poor relation to the very visible Virgin Trains. In fact, the service we operate is much more complex and I think our teams do a great job. I welcome any ideas or suggestions from colleagues on how to increase our profile. This ties in with customer satisfaction

too – perception can be a real factor in that and so I want us to boost our presence and show our customers greater consistency of service.

“There’s also a feeling among colleagues that what we do here is secondary to the West Midlands, so I want to change that feeling to one of ownership and pride. More than 60,000 customers a day depend on West Coast services, and we account for nearly 70 per cent of London Midland revenue. The growth in business in both peak and off-peak has led to more pressure on capacity at stations and on trains with major challenges to manage this demand, particularly when services are disrupted.

“From all of the traincrew, depot colleagues and station staff working along my route, I welcome any discussion on any topic – either openly or in confidence. If you have an issue, query or idea, let’s talk. I’m here to watch, learn, and listen to what we need to do to improve our performance and make our customers as happy as possible with the service they receive from London Midland.”

Get in touch with Barrie l 07881 867 806 l barrie.cottam@londonmidland.com

Delivery Manager Euston Merlin Gard says: Barrie has a very knowledgeable retail and operational background, which is great for our route. I expect that Barrie will be looking at the bigger picture, rather than getting involved in day-to-day delivery.

He’ll watch and listen to customers and colleagues and step in with ideas and suggestions for improvement when he can help, and likewise he’ll help take forward colleague ideas.

I hope he’ll also help cut through red tape and smooth the path for improvements that help both customers and colleagues.

The bigger picture Turn over the page for a detailed map of the areas our new Heads of Route are working across.

While you’re working hard at your day jobs, they will be looking at the bigger picture and

seeing how they can support you. Each route has its own challenges, priorities and ways of working and the Heads of Route will be sharing ideas that can benefit other areas of the business.

5

6

Spring, 2014

Improve My Cab We’re investing more than half a million pounds to improve working conditions in drivers’ cabs.

This YEAR, driver cab air conditioning is being installed in our Class 323s. When temperatures soar outside, cabs can become extremely hot and uncomfortable.

The new air con was championed and trialled and tested by the Cab Environment Working Group in partnership with driver and conductor reps, unions, and colleagues.

Head of Drivers Terry Brissenden says: “The Class 323s have extra large windows that afford excellent visibility, but the downside is they allow a significant amount of solar heat gain.

We’ve previously installed cab fans, sun blinds and trialled window tints, which help, but aren’t completely effective.

The cab temperature is still excessive on hot days. So we’ve been working on solutions to improve the working environment.”

Colleagues examined a DC Air Co system prototype at Soho, where they trialled it and recommended modifications to make it as effective as possible. “It was excellent,” says Terry.

CONTACT US If you have a question, idea or suggestion for the group, you can talk to your health and safety rep about it, or email the group at improvemycab@londonmidland.com

Who’s Your Head of Route?

MARK GOODALL Head of Cross City Services TERRY OLIVER Head of Snow Hill Services DAVID WHITLEY Head of Regional Services BARRIE COTTAM Head of West Coast Services

Spring, Spring,2014 2014

Ambassador Awards special

ABOVE &

BEYOND Meet our Ambassador Award Winners of 2013

ACTS OF BRAVERY, friendship, teamwork, charity, and great customer service, are at the heart of the work of our Ambassador Award Winners.

Last year, you and our customers nominated 100 colleagues for an Ambassador Award. Of them, our Awards Panel presented a record number of 16 awards, including 12 individual and four team awards.

Each winner was chosen for going above and beyond the call of duty, supporting teammates and customers, or consistently providing excellent service.

In February, winners and guests were treated to a drinks reception and lunch at Jamie’s Italian in Birmingham, where they had lunch and a quiz with colleagues and directors.

Managing Director Patrick Verwer also named the overall Ambassador of the Year 2013 – congratulations to Driver Instructor Chris Thompson!

Patrick said: “It’s fantastic that so many colleagues have made an

Our Ambassador of the Year “Professional, kind, thoughtful, calm under pressure, and great in a crisis,” is how colleagues describe our Ambassador of the Year 2013 Driver Instructor Chris Thompson.

On being awarded the honour Chris said: “It is great to get this award – but it really belongs to all of us for what we have done and let’s carry on the good work.”

Chris was off duty, and travelling on one of our trains during disruption caused by overhead line damage at Hanslope junction.

When the train came to an emergency stop just south of Milton Keynes station, he went to the driving cab to offer his help and, when he arrived, he saw Driver Terry O’Donoghue was in distress and on the phone to the British Transport Police (BTP).

The extra mile The train had hit a person on the line. Chris quickly took control of the situation, speaking with the controlling signaller to advise them that Terry was distressed, and he would liaise with our teams, customers and stakeholders to report and resolve the issue.

Chris spoke with the signaller, BTP, paramedics, Network Rail, customers, Control, the on duty conductor and driver manager.

He also used his experience and knowledge as a driver instructor

to check the unit for any faults caused by the impact. After police released the train for service, Chris drove it to Bletchley so customers could continue with their journeys. He also stayed with Terry until he was taken home.

Driver Manager Gerald Clarke, who nominated Chris, says: “I feel that this is what makes the railway and train crew relationship a special one.

When something happens of such a traumatic nature, all grades come together to assist in any way needed. Chris helped colleagues directly involved, and the customers, minimising the length of delay and trauma to everyone. He’s an example to others within the industry, openly displaying what I’d describe as best practice. Chris displayed ALL of London Midland’s values, helping the driver directly involved with the fatality, moving the train as quickly as possible due to his experience and willingness to help, minimising customer delay.

The driver management team were assisted directly with the professionalism of Chris, due to the suspension of all train services. Terry has also said that Chris was of great assistance and displayed kindness and thoughtfulness throughout the incident that he'd had to witness.”

GOOD WORK… Chris Thompson, with Managing Director Patrick Verwer

ambassadorawards outstanding contribution to the business over the past 12 months, and continue to impress colleagues and customers as we build on our Strong Foundations. I’m delighted to recognise the contribution that all of our Ambassador Award winners have made to our business. Without the fantastic efforts of our people, London Midland would not be able to fulfil its ambition of providing quality journeys for everyone.”

He also announced that London Midland is donating £100 each to: St Luke’s Cheshire Hospice, Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Cancer Research UK.

77

8

Spring, 2014

Act of bravery When a drunk man appeared at Nuneaton station with a machete, Customer Service Advisor Adrian Whitington put the welfare of colleagues and customers before his own.

Business Continuity and Assurance Manager John Phillips, who nominated Adrian says: “He distracted the man for 20 minutes to keep him calm and away from customers, putting other people’s welfare before his own, and ensuring that a dangerous situation did not escalate.”

Adrian performed bravely in the face of adversity and, as well as winning a London Midland Ambassador Award, he also scooped the Samaritans Lifesaver Award at the 2013 RailStaff Awards.

A BTP statement said: “Adrian is a quiet, pleasant and unassuming chap who put the welfare of his passengers before his own and assisted us in ensuring a delicate and dangerous situation did not escalate.”

Adrian says: “I wanted to make sure that I kept him away from people, so I talked to him about his life and tried to calm him. I was surprised to be nominated for awards for it – I’m sure other people would do the same in that situation. I’d do the same again if I had to.”

A friend in need Adrian Davies, a Senior Conductor at Crewe, truly went “above and beyond for a colleague and friend in need”.

Senior Conductor Peter McNamee is nursing his partner through a devastating illness, During this difficult time, Adrian has been there for him as a friend and a pillar of strength. Last year things got worse for Peter after he fell on some stairs and broke his ankle. He became housebound for weeks and unable to visit his partner in a hospice. Adrian came to the rescue, visiting him regularly at any time of the day or night to help out and taking him to the hospice.

“Peter is a colleague and a mate. We trained together and get on well,” says Adrian. “Because Peter had only recently moved to Crewe from Scotland, he didn’t have any family or friends in the area. He really needed a hand, so I just did what anyone would do. I took him a newspaper or pint of milk, put the bins out, and went over for a chat.”

Adrian, with London Midland for five years, adds: “I was surprised to win an award for what I see as just being a good mate – but it was nice to get a pat on the back from the team. We have a great team and that’s what I love about the railway – the camaraderie and friendships.”

Ambassador Awards special

Well done to

Calm under pressure “It feels great to be a London Midland Ambassador,” says Alan Russell, a Retail Travel Advisor at Bletchley.

Last August a fatality at Milton Keynes station caused severe delays. A Virgin Trains service was sitting on platform one for about 30 minutes, before traincrew dropped customers off at Bletchley, announcing that coaches at the front of the station would take them further.

There weren’t any coaches for any train company in front of the station, and minutes later the platforms at Bletchley started to fill as two London Midland trains completed their journeys. Alan was the only person at the station and suddenly he was dealing with around 400 customers, as well as helping with luggage.

“It was really busy,” says Alan, who’d had a heart

Sarah’s all heart attack just a year earlier. “We had two of our trains on platforms going north without any announcements and I ended up running between platforms and the booking hall getting customers on to our trains.”

With this going on, the automated announcements were still rolling and telling customers trains were running, making Alan’s job very difficult.

The next day several customers praised Alan’s single-handed efforts, and London Underground colleagues said they doubted they could have done everything Alan did himself.

Alan adds: “I ran things for about four hours on my own; to me it wasn’t a big deal, I just got on with it, but it’s nice to be recognised for doing a good job.”

What started out as a dare between friends suddenly became very real for Droitwich Spa Retail Travel Advisor Sarah Hollies.

She embarked on the trip of a lifetime, a five-day trek of the Sahara desert, raising thousands of pounds for the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

“I’ve known people with breast cancer,” says Sarah.

“It touches a lot of people. I wanted to do something to raise money for Breakthrough Breast Cancer and the Sahara thing actually started off as a bit of a dare.”

Sarah took a year out of her usual routine to prepare herself both physically and mentally for the challenge ahead. Her training regime included walks along the Worcester to Birmingham Canal, trekking in and

Spring, 2014

Care and compassion Driver Manager John Hockenhull is “a real professional and true ambassador”.

John, who was nominated by Neil Langford, was made aware of an incident on a Birmingham New Street to Liverpool service, 150 yards short of Winsford station.

An air cock had been knocked off the train, which meant it couldn’t move, with 12 customers on board.

John helped Mark Stubbs, who had accompanied him, and identified a safe route back for evacuating the train.

John then helped the technician fix the problem, moving the train under its own steam to reduce delay and disruption. A woman, who was waiting at Winsford for a connecting train to pick up her child, was distraught at the thought of missing the connection. So John gave her a lift to Crewe in his car.

Neil says: “This was above and beyond. John was also proactive, saving at least an hour – huge in terms of the impact on so many affected services. He showed great customer care and compassion. John is a real professional and true ambassador for London Midland.”

Excellent customer service Customer Ser vice Advisor Ian Clee says his colleagues now jokingly call him “the Number One” at work, since winning an award.

Everyone’s a winner...

Our 2013 Ambassadors with Patrick

o our winners around Aberystwyth and a warm weather training session in Majorca to prepare her for the heat in the Sahara.

The trek itself was far from plain sailing. Within one and a half hours of the walk starting, Sarah become ill, and there were other times when she thought that she wouldn’t be able to complete what she’d trained so hard for.

However, her determination for herself and her cause brought her through it and she successfully completed it.

She also coordinated a charity golf day, a 60s and 70s disco with Senior Conductor Steve Davies ‘working the decks’ and held raffle draws with donations from local companies. She also promoted the fundraising in Between the Lines and was one of the first colleagues to receive a charity contribution from London Midland Giving, helping to bring her total fundraising to £4,100.

“London Midland Giving is a really amazing thing,” says Sarah, who also told Between the Lines at the awards event that she’s gearing up for her next charity challenge.

Watch this space for more soon.

“It’s funny,” says Ian from Stourbridge Junction. “They’re proud of me, but like to tease me about it.”

The customer who nominated Ian says: “I wanted to let you know about an outstanding piece of customer service. I was in a rush coming home from work, and panicking about picking up my daughter on time.

I stupidly left my bag, including my work laptop and important papers in the luggage rack on the train.

When I went back to the station upset, Ian was incredibly polite and supportive. Ian and his colleague worked out which train I was on, where it was, and arranged for my things to be brought back to the station.

“He went above and beyond what I expected, and was lively and engaging toward my three-year-old daughter.

I was impressed as I’ve never directly spoken with Ian, but he recognised me from commuting for nearly ten years, and remembered me being a heavily pregnant commuter in the snow. He also calmly dealt with a number of irate and rude customers. I feel very lucky to have Ian at our local station serving local people. He’s a great brand ambassador for London Midland.”

Committed to our company One night, cable thefts caused lost signals in the Coventry area, requiring alternative transport to Birmingham New Street – enter Northampton Retail Manager Mitzi Latham…

Retail Travel Advisor Jason Mainreade was alone with around 100 stranded customers, and more arriving. He asked for an on call manager, who was unable to attend.

Then Mitzi, who wasn’t on duty, called him offering help.

She was concerned about Jason being on his own with the disruption and about a lack of available alternative transport for customers. “While I talked to customers, she

called Control on my behalf to try to find a solution for my stranded customers and came to the station to help,” says Jason. “She was immense – dealing with the customers and advising me on different issues regarding the disruption.

Eventually we managed to get taxis and buses so customers could complete their journeys. She was amazing – taking time out of her personal time to go beyond the call of duty.

This showed me someone committed to the company and showing concern and support to her staff.”

On winning her Ambassador Award, Mitzi says: “I was totally gobsmacked to win an award – I didn’t even know I’d been nominated. It’s a lovely experience that I’m very humbled by and one that will stay with me forever.”

TURN THE PAGE FOR EVEN MORE OF OUR WINNERS

9

10

Spring, 2014

Kind and understanding

Ambassador Awards special

Senior Conductor Arnoldas Markulis is an ambassador for great customer service.

Team Tyseley A bowser of diesel was spilled at Tyseley depot, draining into Tyseley Brook where, if not cleaned up, it could have caused major environmental damage and cost us a hefty fine.

Team Leader Tony Fellowes realised the severity of the situation and acted immediately to help contain and clean the spill. He also arranged for additional help, with colleagues travelling back from Worcester and Soho, to assist.

Maintenance Technicians Robert Taylor and Adam Morris dug out their wellies, wading knee-deep into the oily water to deploy spill absorbent materials and booms, containing it on-site. Maintenance Technician Barry White helped construct a temporary dam and moved the broken bowser onto a bund to stop further spillage.

The rest of the team helped colleagues make the area safe and absorb the spill. Facilities Manager John Williams arranged for an emergency clean up contractor to remove the diesel and absorbents. He stayed on site, out of hours, while contractors worked into the evening to close the issue. John also liaised with the Environment Agency, explaining how the spill was dealt with and assuring them of our comprehensive response.

Everyone worked professionally and as a team, going ‘above and beyond’ the call of duty. Plus, as it’s an offence to pollute a watercourse, this prevented us from being fined anywhere up to £250,000.

Outstanding service Customers love Euston-based Revenue Protection Inspector Kevin Benjamin, and they’re writing in to us to tell him so.

Since February last year, Kevin’s received at least three customer comment letters praising him for outstanding customer service.

One says: “I was travelling to Stafford and unfortunately, due to buses, I missed my train by one minute. I was due at a hypnotherapy appointment.

This was important to me to make as I have been facing many issues for over 20 years. I went to the ticket office by platform 12 and was helped by Kevin who was very kind and sympathetic and transferred my ticket for me and showed me where to get the train. I’m so grateful for the kindness. I now go to Stafford every other week and because of this day I will only take this journey with London Midland trains and use them whenever possible and recommend them to friends.”

Another says: “I was running to catch a train to Bletchley, but just missed it as it left early due to an extra stop at Wembley. I spoke to Kevin and expressed some frustration that the train had left early. Kevin was excellent, he listened politely and gave a well-explained, diplomatic, genuine response. He then went out of his way to find the next train going to Bletchley and, whilst the platform hadn’t been announced yet, he went and spoke to one of his colleagues who he knew was already aware of the platform number, to save me some time.

It was just really good, intuitive customer service from a good employee. I walked away thinking that’s a good guy, hope London Midland look at promoting him into a customer service role.”

On his award, Kevin says: “It feels good to be recognised. I’ve been chatting to Patrick at the awards and he’s congratulated me too.

To be honest I was nervous about coming to the awards but he’s made me feel relaxed.

Good service comes naturally to me and I know many colleagues who share my good customerservice attitude.”

One customer said this: “My family and I inadvertently got on a London Midland train at Euston instead of a Virgin Trains service and we were advised to get off at Milton Keynes. Arnoldas got off the train with us and explained the situation to a Virgin Trains operator. They were very understanding and gave us a permit to travel on the next train through to Chester.

I can’t tell you how grateful myself and my family are for his kindness and understanding.” Arnoldas says: “Being helpful doesn’t cost anything and it was a pleasure to give the customers a good experience with us.”

How to save a life Quick-thinking Deliver y Manager Trina Dukes helped to save a man’s life.

When a customer had a heart attack on the concourse at Milton Keynes Central, Trina and two members of the public carried out CPR until paramedics arrived at the scene. There he was resuscitated and taken to hospital for treatment. The paramedics returned to the station later to thank everyone involved and confirm that their actions had saved his life.

Trina, who qualified as a first aider with London Midland and is part of the St John Ambulance unit at Berkhamsted, says: “Someone came into the ticket office saying a customer was having a heart attack. When we got to him he wasn’t breathing, so we did chest compressions and bagged him and kept talking to him reassuringly until the paramedics arrived.

“His daughter came to the station to tell us he was ok and when I heard we’d saved his life I was on cloud nine for the rest of the week! It’s really nice to win an award and talk to some of the other London Midland Ambassador Award winners about their stories.”

Proper conduct Witnessing a suicide on the railway can understandably be very difficult to handle, but this team acted with courage and professionalism.

Senior Conductor Jason Wardle and Drivers Robin Ashcroft and Charlie Jones worked calmly and quickly to restore service after witnessing a suicide on the line.

Jason attempted to stop the person from stepping into the path of an oncoming Virgin Trains service at Rugeley Trent Valley. Unfortunately they did and they died at the scene. Robin, Charlie and Jason helped customers from the train and platform, supporting people and keeping them informed about what was happening. The train was later re-boarded and the trio worked the train to Rugby.

“I tried to prevent the tragedy, instinct just kicked in.

Sadly they jumped and I saw it all happen. But I think adrenaline took over and I blocked it out of my mind and got on with the job,” says Jason. “I’d do the same again if I had to.” Charlie adds: “It’s nice for us all to be nominated and to be here celebrating with the other winners.”

Charlie, Jason and Robin

Dave, Kay and Alex

Top teamwork This team won an award for their vigilance, observation and actions, preventing what could have been a serious incident.

Northampton Retail Travel Advisors Alex Pinfold and Dave Birch and Carlisle Cleaning Services Supervisor Kay Hamson dealt with suspicious activity swiftly and safely.

One morning Kay reported three men acting suspiciously at the station. Alex and Dave watched them from a distance, then saw them board a train for Euston.

Kay says: “We thought they were trying to avoid paying, but they got on the train together and split up, so we also thought they could be a significant security risk.

Dave and Alex alerted the senior conductor, called the police, and informed the signaller and Control.

The train was held outside Milton Keynes Central until police arrested the men for suspicious behaviour.

Their managers and BTP and the Home Office Police confirmed the team’s actions were correct. It serves as a comfort to know that our frontline teams are still aware of the security risks and the correct procedures to follow.

Kay says: “We’re over the moon to win.” With Alex adding: “It’s part of life on the railway, but also nice to be recognised and know that management value our efforts.”

A lasting memorial Our On-Train Presentation team at Birmingham New Street was a source of inspiration and support to a much-loved colleague who is no longer with us.

More than 18 months ago on-train Cleaner Saleem Kazmi was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Throughout his treatment, colleagues supported him. Saleem said without them “the dark days would have been darker”.

Last year, Saleem wanted to marry his partner Debbie.

The team raised money for a wedding and organised it.

The couple was married on 10 August, then sadly Saleem passed away. This nomination is a lasting memorial to the desire of one individual and support of dozens of others who all made his wish come true.

Gateway to success Congratulations also went to Ambassador Award Winner Mark Haslam, nominated by Ian Taylor for his handling of the Gateway Project at Birmingham New Street.

Ian says: “He has worked to very tight deadlines and with numerous internal and external stakeholders.

Credit to Mark for looking after London Midland’s interests.” Mark has since left London Midland and we wish him all the best in his retirement.

Is one of your work mates a bit of a legend?

If you think a colleague or team has gone ‘above and beyond’ the call of duty at work, you can nominate them for a London Midland Ambassador Award. Visit mylondonmidland. com or http://bit.ly/lmawards from any smartphone or computer.

Spring, 2014

11

Well Tydy The team at Tyseley are gearing up for another clutter clear out.

Last summer the team shut up shop for the day to overhaul their working environment, rather than our trains for a change.

The Tidy Tyseley day was such a success that colleagues now have a better working environment, the site better meets environmental regulations and we’ve auctioned some old items, including a British Rail milk float, sleepers, sound booths, ladders and portable Controlled Emission Tanks.

Depot Manager Chris Wright says: “We’re so busy working on our fleets that the depot and site can sometimes get really cluttered. Some of the stuff had been at Tyseley so long it had become part of the furniture. We decided to sort it out.”

Labourer Andy Holliday says: “It was a big job – we got the forklift in to move some of the

really heavy stuff, including concrete sleepers which were piled up by the Brook Road.

Everyone mucked in – sweeping, lifting, moving and tidying things. We also asked a contractor to cut back the trees and add a barrier along the river. It’s much better outside, and in the depot we’ve removed a lot of clutter to help make day-to-day tidying easier.”

Fellow Labourer Gerald Wilkes agrees: “It was good to have a clear out with everyone mucking in. As well throwing away what we could and saving useful things for auction, we recycled plenty of paper, plastics, glass and filters.”

Chris adds: “It was a great team effort from everyone and the depot’s much better for it.

We want to ensure we maintain this level in the future. So, we’ll be doing it again this summer, and making a team day of it with a barbecue.”

Mucking in… Gerald and Andy

THE NUMBERS We asked you for your feedback on how we share performance in Between the Lines – and we’ve listened!

How we’re performing is now brought to you by James Carter, Head of Operations Support at 102 New Street, Birmingham, who leads our team of experts who analyse our network performance, reporting back to the business how we are doing.

In each edition of Between the Lines, James will be sharing up-to-date performance figures, talking about what it means and what we need to do to make improvements.

Here are the numbers for Period 12

PPM PPM (MOVING Annual Average)

Thanks To Emma Morgan, Acting Safety & Environmental Performance Co-ordinator, for the latest on our safety performance.

PERIOD 12

2014

2013

14 ▼

20

84.5%

Colleague accidents Customer accidents

16 ▼

18

85.7%

Colleague assaults

19 ▼

30

Customer assaults

0 ▼

1

TARGET

ACTUAL

91.1% 89.3%

SAFETY

DELAY MINUTES

12,168

15,650

CANCELLATIONS

212

248

James says: “Unfortunately, although our performance in Period 12 started well, we were subsequently hit by a number of externallyrelated incidents involving: weather, fatalities, trespass, and attempted cable thefts.

“The most disruptive incidents to London Midland during this period included a major power failure in the Stafford area on 9 February, and an incident with a tree falling on to the overhead wiring at Bourne End on 14 February.”

Environmental We’re so green!

Over the past year we have recycled 2,378.57 tonnes of waste. We’re also proud to announce that our recycling rate for Period 11 was 99.15 per cent – our highest ever achieved.

99.15%

LATEST

APPOINTMENTS l Head of Operations Standards l Adrian Champion l Driver l Allan Hirst l Head of Resources l Diggory Waite l Delivery Manager Worcester l Martin Hall l On Train Cleaner l Jacqueline Bamford l Rachel Hodgetts l Project Manager (Gateway) l Richard Murley l Resource Manager – West Coast l Sean Harris l Delivery Manager Walsall Lines l Paul Hanley l Conductor Manager Bletchley l Tristan Casson-Rennie l Customer Service Manager (Cross City and Chase Lines) l Nigel Newman l Delivery Manager Watford l Lottie-Jo McLean l Delivery Manager Stour South l Neil Burnett l Retail Manager (Snow Hill Lines, Central Birmingham, SVN and SQ) l Ron Owen l Conductor, Wolverhampton l Kian Steed l Alim Uddin l Laura Lowbridge l Conductor, Birmingham New Street l Paul Wilkins l Nicola Vaughan l Operations and Simulator Trainer l Robert Buckley l Performance Standards and Quality Manager l David Higgs l Assistant Controller l Liam Wesson l Platform colleague, Watford l Aaron Manz

12

Spring, 2014

InBOX

Got something to say?

Contact us at btl@ londonmidland.com

Subject: Re: Sally Prior (“The Last Word” Between the Lines Winter 2013) 12

winter, 2013

thE LAst word :

Hi Sally. I’ve just been reading the article in the latest colleague newspaper Between the Lines, and it’s a very good insight into the work you do.

I should know, as I’m always pestering you for stuff. You really are tops and thank you for always supplying me with all of the bespoke posters I require for our local stations and for redecorating our office for us. Many thanks Sally; your efforts really are appreciated.

From: Adam Vernon, Customer Information Systems Ambassador, London Midland City Lines

Subject: London Midland ambassador Awards

ambassadorawards

AsToN TiCKeT offiCe

The article on our golf day (‘Mick Lands It!’ – Between the Lines Winter 2013) is absolutely brilliant, so a massive thank you to you for that!

Also, thank you to Sara Burd for going through the article with me, and getting in touch with you.

GOT A STORY? CONTACT US AT bTl@l ONdONmidlANd.COm

From: Carol Coates, Customer Information Assistant, Birmingham Snow Hill

gRe aT!

Assistant James

AN eye for deTAil... sally prior

Their generous donations were much appreciated.

winter, 2013

The National Memorial mills and three friends have completed Arboretum a 40-mile sponsored , the UK's stretcher walk, centre of remembrance, raising £1,301 for help for heroes. in his spare time.

James joined London Midland six months “The walk was great ago, and having served in the Territorial Army’s, fun and the public the charity is a cause really supported us close to his heart.

– some people even bought “I wanted to do something us ice cream and beer fun to raise along the way! I’m also really money for the charity grateful to London that looks after our Midland Giving, which injured soldiers,” says contributed a whopping James, who volunteers at £357 to our total."

hr busiNess pArTNer Claire Cooper went to euston station to work with barrier line colleagues .

“It was an eye opener,” says Claire.

“While I was there they dealt with a fare evader, drunk customers and worked with British Transport Police officers on various matters.

It was very busy and I really learned to appreciate the work they do – it’s hard work and in driver managers, conductors and unpredictabl e circumstance s. welcome hosts were excited to They do a great job.” be visited.

Other HR colleagues They were happy to share what took cab rides with life is like at Bletchley and the drivers and worked challenges they face.

Some felt a a cleaning nightshift disconnect between head office at Tyseley depot. and their station.

We learned Resourcing Assistant this felt like the case at a few Emily D u n p h y locations, so we’re aiming to went to Bletchley make more regular visits so we station. She can build relationships and says: “Our learn from each other.”

Thank you to my colleagues at Birmingham Snow Hill for sponsoring my daughter who completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks trail in July 2013, raising £345 for Alzheimer’s Society.

From: Sarah Hollies, Retail Assistant

with a little help from my frien ds

your Shoes

our HR colleagues have been touring the network, shadowing station, on board and depot colleagues, to discover what life is like in their shoes.

Subject: Thanks

When I found out I’d won I felt mixed emotions. I was honoured, proud but also humbled that people had noticed what I’d done.

Hi, I received my copy of Between the Lines today through the post.

What do you do at Transport (DfT) regulations. london midland? posters, website Then, I do mobile updates, and web and artwork, It’s so varied. In the main, versions, for print information upload in advance.

I produce, print and and promotional posters. distribute Next, are line of route posters posters and leaflets through the and departure sheets. business. But there’s do you enjoy the variety? a lot more This year, we’re also promoting to it, especially when Definitely. I’m lucky to it’s time for our online work with timetable resources, a timetable change! many different people.

One of my such as I think ‘create your own most critical times is I’m seen as a bit of a in the run timetable’, Blue Peter email service alerts one-stop up to those, in December shop. It usually starts and May. and downloads, so there’s a suite with someone popping in of extra posters for and stations. saying they’ve What does that involve? had an idea.

I do all this while juggling How do I? It’s mega busy, and right Or, I need… now I’m my regular day-to-day getting everything ready work – for our it’s pretty challenging.

8 December change. how can people help I manage you? the production of all I get many last-minute 16 of our Why do we requests need this timetable guides. I and am always happy then print publishing? to help. our timetable posters But knowing what you and ensure If timetables want, and aren’t completed giving they arrive at the right me enough time to do places, and available it to customers four well, at the right times. That’s really helps. lots to weeks before the timetable organise when there are about change, the DfT can fi ne us. What 3,000 posters and timetables makes your day? to The information helps replace at 200 locations! update Thank you goes a long way. customers about changes to our services, so they can make What do Tell us more… you do when decisions about their journeys.

There’s a short window you're not working? of about 12 weeks from I play baritone saxophone timetable What are you and up to confirmation, to getting bass clarinet in the Bewdley all our outside the timetable timetable guides, web Concert Band and act PDFs, change season? as mobile QR code timetables, their promotions offi line I work with many cer. departments. I also of route posters and A-Z do spin classes or departure I help produce posters for other sheets set, printed and mad things at the distributed. department walls, promotional It’s time sensitive because gym in a vain effort to our mugs or T-shirts get and one-off fit. I’m colleagues and customers either preparing for need items such as cupcakes for the to know what the new next Nightrider London, times are the launch event for ‘the key’. weeks before they change. or planning DisneyI look after our Pinterest related holidays! pages, make Facebook how does it work? updates, create customised First, we produce the London timetable Midland Sheep (take a guides. They’re agreed, designed, look on Facebook!) checked, printed and delivered to and engineering stations four weeks in advance, to comply with Department for

Where do you read yours?

Between the Lines has been by the river in St Petersburg!

I think the Ambassador Awards scheme is a brilliant way for London Midland to show they appreciate the things their employees do to go that extra mile at work or, in my case, out of work.

Subject: Between the Lines

Sally pRioR walk in

meet Sally prior, our producti on manager at 102 new Street.

YOUR PHOTOS

Since london midland giving was launched across the company last summer, london midland has supported 37 individual colleagues on 39 separate fundraising events, pledging an impressive £8,567.75 to the charities that matter to you.

11

Subject: Winning ticket

20K

▲ PICTURE PERFECT “It’s sunrise – eight degrees and

I’m perched on the wall alongside the Bolshaya River in St Petersburg with the Winter Palace and Hermitage in the background. Cool.” From Howard Fairweather, RPI, Milton Keynes

10K

 Congratulations to…

Rob Thorpe, London Midland Information Controller/CIS Ambassador, LNW Integrated Control Centre, The Mailbox, Birmingham. Rob won the last Where Do You Read Yours? photo competition.

He won an iPad Mini!

5K

2K

Tee hee... a great day

didn’T THey do wel l!

★

Congratu lations to friends sarah garner, simon Aldridge, Kathryn Jacques and diane edge-robinson who did their first group abseil

mick landS iT! The ANNuAl Tyseley

Cup Dave says: “The first golf day supplied time around plenty of was great fun.

We managed to raise entertainment, laughs and fair enough money to get a lovely trophy to play on the fairway. play for each year, and A couple of years various other ago Team prizes. The main trophy is a replica Leader Dave Clark a n d of The Open Championsh Technician Paul ip trophy!”

Garner set up This year’s event the event for colleagues took place at and Bromsgrove Golf Club ex-colleagu es from in August, Tyseley depot with 21 players trying to stay who know their out of birdies from the bunkers mighTy miCK... Wins along the way. their bogeys. it!

The honour of the fi rst tee went to Townsend and Mick Rock. The last year’s cup winner ‘Must Craig Grundy Try Harder’ trophy went to from Birmingham New Gary Hales.

Street. Paul Saving the main cup says: “The weather was action to last, in glorious and, third place came Ron Crowther, again, everybody had second a wonderful place Ashley Price and the day. The course was lovely, winner was as was the Mick Landry! two-course meal afterwards!

Following Dave adds: “A few of us that we presented the have chipped trophies.” in and bought a lovely A new salver – The glass trophy Toffee Nose cabinet to house the silverware Award – went to the game’s in top scoring the team Toffee Noses! manager’s office at Tyseley. group of players. This year’s ‘Toffee We’re already looking for Noses’ were Ron Crowther, the 2014 Michael venue for the Tyseley Cup.”

From: Dave Clark, Fleet Production Leader, Tyseley

together. Together, raised more than £500 for Mountain Rescue, by abseiling the length of Derby Cathedral.

★

London Midland’s contribution to the raffle was greatly appreciated well done all of you

by Moseley RFC. Congratu lations to Claire Cooper, hr business partner fleet & hQ, who has complete d a 470-mile charity bike ride from edinburgh to london, raising £1,231 for domestic violence charity refuge.

With the London Midland Giving donation of an extra £500, this brings the total to £1,731!

laST iSSue’S winneRS

The event was a huge success. Here’s a photo of the Shroff family who pulled out the winning ticket.

CoNgrATulATioNs

To...

Stephen Jackson and Financial Accountant Cathy Powell, from 102

New Street, Birmingham Stretch , who each won a year's freeyourself gym membership not your budget! at their local Gym Fitness4Less clas & ses from club in the competiton £1 in 5.99 the last issue of Between the Lines (p8, Autumn 2013). per

mont h

Special joining offer for London Midland employees!

Join online & pay NO Enrolment Fee. Plus, we’re opening new clubs all the time.

Simply enter the voucher code for the club you wish to join at stage 3 online.

BIRMILDNMID WATFOLDNMID CHELTLDNMID CHESHLDNMID NORTHLDNMID NEWMALDNMID BRIERLDNMID

Birmingham Watford Cheltenham Chesham Northampton New Malden Brierley Hill

Win a free 1 year membership!

for London Midland

employees

From: Mick O’Brien, Construction Safety Specialist for Infrastructure Projects, Network Rail

For your chance to win one years’ free gym membership at your local Fitness4less club, to btl@londonmidland.com. simply send the word ‘Gym’ selected after the closing Two winners will be randomly date of Friday 25 October 2013. * Conditions apply. This

offer is not valid at London

Southwark, Cambridge

Heath or Canning Town.

fitness4less.co.uk

Subject: How to start an early shift at Watford Junction Thought I would share this photo with you... …makes for a good start to the working day!

From: Sally Pearson, Delivery Manager, Watford Junction

Where do you read your BtL?

Send your pictures to btl@londonmidland.com We’ll give you £30 in Compliments Vouchers if we publish your photo(s) in Between the Lines.

WIN! Keep fit

TECH

Spring, 2014

13

Put a spring in your step … with these great offers There are hot holiday offers available to all London Midland colleagues, thanks to your benefits!

With spring approaching, there’s never been a better time for you to take advantage of what’s available.

Discover fantastic discounts on a whole host of holiday offers, as well as more than 8,000* other discounts online.

If you’re looking for the ideal accommodation, you can save up to 60 per cent off hotel bookings in the UK and worldwide with HotelStayUK. There’s also the option to save up to 17 per cent off your next holiday with commission free travel, perfect

for ordering the whole holiday package.

If you prefer browsing the options in your own time, there’s also a benefit which allows you to save up to 14 per cent on online bookings, ensuring we cover all the ways to help you cut the cost of this year’s holiday.

There are also great discounts on days out, including savings on tickets to Alton Towers, Legoland Windsor, Thorpe Park and more. As well as theme parks, you can get great deals on entertainment, including up to 40 per cent off cinema tickets and a great bargain on family bowling!

With all these benefits, and more, where will 2014 take you?

You can book your holiday in a number of ways through mybenefits, choosing the saving and service that best suits you. To start saving on all these benefits and thousands more, visit www.personalgroupbenefits.com/londonmidland

By using mybenefits you could save up to £620 a year. If you haven’t received your copy Terms & conditions apply. of mybenefits yet, email mybenefits@londonmidland.com and we’ll send you one. *Information correct at time of print.

The Fitbit Flex syncs with your smartphone!

Wristbands like the Fitbit Flex are a popular new way of making exercise a bit more fun.

This wearable technology puts tech at the heart of the modern fitness fan.

The Fitbit Flex fits on your wrist just like a watch and tracks your daily activities to help you evaluate your lifestyle, stay on track and reach your goals and you can then sync it with your smartphone or computer to see how active you are. You can see how many steps you’ve taken,

distance travelled, calories burned and the hours and quality of your sleep.

Flex can also wake you up in the morning with a silent alarm that won’t bother your partner.

Everything is shown in easy to follow graphs and charts – and you can earn badges and connect with friends.

Like the sound of that? We’ve got two Fitbit Flex wristbands to give away.

For your chance to win, simply answer

the following question, the answer to which you’ll find in this edition of Between the Lines:

How much can you save a year through mybenefits?

Send your answer, with your name, role, location, and contact details to btl@londonmidland.com or text 07530 973 042. The closing date for entries is Friday 2 May.

14

Spring, 2014

THE SOCIAL

Keep on giving We’ve launched a groundbreaking initiative – a new London Midland Giving website – to help support the causes close to your hearts.

You can join www.london midlandgiving.com to help your fundraising colleagues and choose a charity of your own to support.

Our site is the UK’s first branded donation-matching website – and follows on from the success of our London Midland Giving Scheme.

Since late 2012, londonmidland giving.com has supported 21 colleagues, boosted 125 donations, and helped to raise £12,410 for charity, by adding 50p to every £1 you donate or raise.

Our site also features all of the good work colleagues are doing for charity, including our companywide chosen charity Railway Children and other national and local good causes.

Internal Communications and Engagement Manager Richard Baker, says: “Our new, innovative website is really exciting news. It makes it easy for the London Midland to support the good causes you care about. Plus, charities get every penny, as London Midland covers the administrative costs associated with each donation. The site also includes sharing tools, enabling our fundraisers to use social networking to raise awareness of their good causes. It’s a really innovative approach to corporate social responsibility and something we can all be proud of.”

20K

10K

5K

2K

www.londonmidlandgiving.com

THANK YOU!

un g pe op le wh o the ch ild re n an d yo On be ha lf of all of tch funding the like to thank you for ma co me to Ac or ns , I’d nior Conductor) ingham Snow Hill Se irm (B t tha hip ors ns spo the 2013 Skydive sed when taking part in Sarup Singh Mann rai tic fundraising tas ’s Hospice. Such fan in aid of Acorns Children cost of care for Acorns in meeting the efforts are essential to ilies, and helps us ited children and fam over 640 local life-lim London Midland ank you to everyone at to reach many more. Th ible amount and 17.50. This is an incred for the donation of £3 very much. we value your support

Andrea Murphy

Events Administrator spice, Birmingham Acorns Children’s Ho

Better for you The results of our latest ‘Pulse’ survey are in and more than 80 per cent of colleagues who responded think that London Midland is a socially responsible employer – that’s a massive 90 per cent increase on last year.

You also said that we’re now better as a company at employee benefits – with 69 per cent satisfied with the total benefits package.

This reflects many new initiatives

including mybenefits at the end of last year, our support for the charity Railway Children, the fantastic work being done to reduce our environmental impact, and London Midland Giving.

Spring, 2014

Comedy capers

He’s been a toolmaker, newsagent, painter and decorator and a senior conductor.

Now Wolverhampton Driver Donald Wightman is a self-published author. Between the Lines discovers what inspired his latest venture…

RAIL TALE… Wordy Wightman

Can you help the heroes?

Our Soho depot Production Manager Carl Miller is organising an overnight charity bike ride from Birmingham to London, and is looking for colleagues to join him.

Carl wants to take part in the Do It Yourself Hero Ride for Help for Heroes.

“It’s a great sporting and fundraising idea,” says Carl. “The only set detail is the date, with riders converging on London on 8 June. We can choose the route and, within reason, the distance.”

To find out more, or get involved, you can contact Carl on 07834 465 216

“I like to see the humour in things,” says Donald.

“I’ve had varied roles in my career, starting out as a toolmaker for Jaguar in Coventry, then running a newsagency in Warwickshire and turning my hand to DIY. But, because I was always practical and working with my hands, I started having carpal tunnel problems.

I knew I couldn’t continue with DIY full-time for another 15 years.

Then Donald saw an advert for a senior conductor.

“Although I’d never worked in rail, I knew my retail experience would help, and I got the job.”

Three years later Donald trained as a driver and he’s now been with London Midland for 12 years.

“I feel very at home on the railway,” says Donald.

“I prefer to work late shifts so I can keep a regular sleep pattern and my mornings are free to write and walk.”

Last year Donald published his first novel, a comedy called Bland Encounter, which has sold 150 copies via Amazon. He used “funny situations” and “tales” from customers and colleagues to inspire the story.

It’s centred on a middle-aged train manager, and “takes the slapstick farce of a 1950s Ealing comedy and updates it with a generous portion of risqué humour”.

His advice for any other budding authors is: “Find a good publisher who can help you with editing, formatting and publicising your work.”

Read more – and buy Donald’s novel at www.troubador.co.uk/ book_info.asp?bookid=2334 or email donaldawightman@gmail.com

Treks, trails and tyres!

Check out all of the great activities you can get involved in to help our corporate charity Railway Children in 2014.

Trek to Machu Picchu  Various dates A unique alternative to the Inca Trail is far off the beaten track and you’ll see diverse and spectacular scenery, glimpsing a way of Peruvian life untouched for centuries.

Trek to Kilimanjaro  Various dates At 5,895m, Mt Kilimanjaro is one of the world’s largest volcanoes. Your challenge is to reach its summit.

Great Wall Discovery  Various dates Stretching 6,000km, the Great Wall dates back to the 5th century BC. This challenge offers fabulous scenery and insight into a rich culture and history.

Zambezi River Challenge  Various dates Paddle more than 100km down the Zambezi River, finishing at the Victoria Falls.

Virgin London Marathon  13 April FREE Registration fee £200 Minimum sponsorship £1,800 Great Manchester Run  18 May FREE Registration fee £30 Minimum sponsorship £150

British 10k London Run  13 July FREE Registration fee £30 Minimum sponsorship £150

BUPA London 10k  25 May FREE Registration fee £30 Minimum sponsorship £150

Royal Parks Half Marathon  5 October FREE Registration fee £30 Minimum sponsorship £270

15

16

Spring, 2014

The last word:

Peter Chapman This former librarian joined us as a Retail Travel Assistant at Coseley station just six months ago. But talk to Peter, and you’ll discover a lifelong passion for the railway…

Hi Peter, what’s your day job?

I look after customers at Coseley. That involves selling tickets and giving people information and advice on their journeys. I also carry out station security checks and, in the winter put magic melt on platforms and ramps to prevent frost and ice. I’m responsible for providing assistance to and from trains for disabled and visually impaired customers, and maintaining the ticket vending machine. So, I look after customers’ travel needs, and their wellbeing!

What’s life like at Coseley?

It’s a small station with great colleagues and a lovely group of regular customers. I work an afternoon shift five days a week and 10 Sundays a year, which suits me.

And how is the team?

They’re great. There’s my ‘other half’ Rakesh Jassi – who does the morning shifts. He’s been here 12 years, is a nice guy and has taught me a lot. He knows loads about running a station.

Then there’s the relief, Keith Whitehouse, and my manager Denise Platts. We work well together and have a laugh.

What did you do before joining London Midland?

I’m a trained librarian and I worked in the libraries, mainly in the North living in Darlington for 25 years.

I was a researcher in newspaper libraries for the likes of The Northern Echo and York Evening Press, until the dotcom bust in 2001 when I was made redundant.

What did you do next?

My wife returned to her role as a Church of England Vicar.

I stayed at home to bring up our two daughters Emily and Miriam, with the joy of lots of school and club runs! The kids then flew the nest, as they do.

We were living in Birmingham by then, where Janet is a Canon at Birmingham Cathedral. I thought it was about time I got out of the house, and saw an advert for this job. Part-time hours, customer service role, on the railway – it ticked all my boxes.

What are you enjoying?

Meeting our customers.

I’ve always had a passion for rail travel. I used to blog about journeys between Birmingham and London, so I came into London Midland with a strong customer view. I admit I wasn’t always as kind as I could have been to London Midland and Chiltern Railways in my blogs.

As a customer, all you want is to catch a train that’s on time and get to your destination for a fair price. In the real world, as we know, it’s not quite that simple. It’s interesting to see things from the other side and explain to how it works to customers. I don’t do my

blog any more because now that I’m working on the railway I’m not so impartial.

But I have another project on the go…

Tell us more.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the closure of the two stations at Pudsey (Greenside and Lowtown), West Yorkshire, as part of the Beeching cuts. I remember the closure and want to mark it.

One advantage of working for London Midland is the free rail travel, so I recently went to the National Archives in London to research and gather information for my blog. If you’d like to read about the history of the Pudsey Loop, you can at thepudseyloop.blogspot.co.uk We hear you’re also a fan of your new Head of Route?

Yes, David Whitley is one of my heroes, and as I joined London Midland he became Head of Route, which is great.

David led the way on Twitter in our industry – he’s an amazing evangelist for Twitter.

What do you do in your spare time?

I edit a magazine called Relay for the Wensleydale Railway in North Yorkshire. I’m a level crossing keeper on that line and am raising money for a new set of gates with the help of London Midland Giving www.givey.com/lminaday

Dream job… Peter’s passion for rail (left) TEAMWORK… Rakesh teaches Peter the ropes (above) FAR LEFT… Peter’s wife Janet

Read me online at www.btlmagazine.co.uk