BTL_6

The award-winning magazine for everyone at London Midland

heroic

conduct 07 courage, under pressure

inside this issue...

ISSUE 6 | MAY/JUNE 2012

www.londonmidland.com

03 KEEPING YOU SAFE 05 TEAMWORK, TRAINING AND TICKETS 16 WIN! - TWO COMPETITIONS AND MUCH MORE...

2

hello!

I’m Anna-Marie, HR Systems Analyst at 102 New Street, Birmingham.

B

efore I talk about what’s in this issue of Between the Lines, here’s a bit about me and the fantastic team I work with.

I’m part of our central HR team, and I produce management information to help senior managers increase efficiency and productivity across the business. I’m part of a team that supports our HR and Payroll system, Oracle, and delivers training. I work closely with Finance and line managers, and I produce our periodic HR dashboard for Group and our Board of Directors.

The dashboard shows how we’re doing against our goals, on things like absenteeism and turnover, as well as schemes such as our Ambassador Awards, internal promotions and training. I’ve also been working with the research company that helped with our first Spring Survey. I’ve been here for five years, and I think the people are great and really make this job for me. Speaking of our people, I think the courage and professionalism shown by Senior Conductor Nigel Atkins is amazing (page 7).

Our feature on Dispatch at Watford Junction (pages 8-9) is really interesting too. I liked learning more about them and their dedication to the job.

I remember when I first joined the company that there was a major push to achieve 90 per cent PPM for a week! To learn that we’ve done it time and again over the past 12 months is great. Have a look at our performance round up for the year on Check out page 4. Well done us! nes n the Lico Betweetlm e. .uk in az ag .b w at ww

Anna-Marie Anna-Marie Brown

it’s all about you...

This is your magazine. So 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?

w his tle

st op

@

Contact Between the Lines at btl@londonmidland.com or call 01904 731185 If you are emailing from home, do leave your name so we know who to get back in touch with.

...is your quick stop for what’s happening across London Midland – follow it along the bottom of Between the Lines.

All the latest news

Everyone counts

– thanks!

Thank you to everyone who took part in our first Spring Survey.

Last month, we asked each of you for your opinions about your working life here, so that we can understand what we do well as a business, and what we can do better in future.

Managing Director Patrick Verwer says: “Your opinions really do matter to us, and now that we have your feedback we’re going to act on it. We will make improvements where we can, and if we believe we can’t change something, we’ll be honest and tell you why.”

In the next issue of Between the Lines we’ll bring you a special report on the full results, talk about what they mean and look at what we will be acting on now, and in the longer term.

Come and join us!

Would you like to get involved with the team who produce our award-winning Between the Lines magazine?

We’re looking for roving reporters and amateur photographers who’d like to join the magazine team. We’re producing six issues each year, and need enthusiastic, well-connected colleagues with their ears to the ground to help. It’s not a huge time commitment, we know you’re busy with your day jobs, simply keep tabs on what’s going on at your station, office or depot then come to a magazine planning meeting every six weeks and tell us all about it.

If your interest is in photography, be a Between the Lines photographer and we’ll credit your pictures in the magazine.

This is an interesting development opportunity and a great way to get to know new colleagues.

To join our magazine team email richard.baker@londonmidland.com inside this issue...

The magazine for

everyone

stars!

06 ALL SYSTEMS GO! 07 MEET PATRICK 14 KEEPING CUSTOMERS HAPPY 20 WIN! AND MUCH MORE...

2012

ISSUE 4 | JANUARY/FE BRUARY

www.londonmidland.com

553_11_BtL_iss

ue4_JanFeb201

covaerr st

2.indd 1

Senior Conductor Nigel Atkins (centre) with Kerry Neal and Carol Coates

Between the Lines magazine is managed by Richard Baker and designed and produced by scarlettabbott – 01904 633399 | scarlettabbott.co.uk

� spotted! Senior Conductor Natalie Steeples with the one and only ‘Mr Motivator’ who boarded one of our services from Birmingham New Street to Longbridge for an impromptu exercise session with our customers on 8 May (part of a Free Radio and Centro campaign).

07/0

15

3

colleagues in our Workforce Assault group

Keeping you s fe We should be able to feel safe at work, and without the fear of verbal or physical violence.

But sadly it does happen, and for a range of reasons.

I

at London Midland

!

02/2012 14:30

n the past year, our colleagues have reported 454 incidents of verbal or physical abuse – ranging from being sworn or spat at to being kicked and punched. Of them, 76 per cent (345) were verbal incidents.

Our Workforce Assaults Working Group is made up of managers and union representatives from different parts of the business. It says that, although this figure is up on the previous year (it was 361 in 2010/2011), it’s because more colleagues are reporting the crimes made against them. That’s a good thing, because it’s helping us work with the British Transport Police to prevent incidents happening again.

CCTV Coordinator Mary Mattey, who is a member of colleagues, the the group, says better reporting Security Taskforce is helping to improve safety. team, local police “Around 18 months ago, and station and assaults on rail colleagues were traincrew to make increasing nationally,” says Mary. them safer.” numbers mean “Our group was set up partly in Now, the group high customer orted an increase in rep response to that, but also to look at is analysing assaults aults incidents of ass how we can better manage the risk or trends, which will lead to new threat of violence against our colleagues reduction initiatives. There’s a local plan in the longer term. We’ve been encouraging in place for Watford Junction, being used as a trial. people to report even the smallest incident, so that we can build up a clear picture of where we should focus extra security, preventative measures “We’ve been encouraging people and victim support. For example, we know from to report even the smallest reporting figures that there are double the reported incident so that we can build up a incidents of assaults against colleagues at Watford Junction than at any other station in our network. clear picture of where we need to To put this in context, it is a major interchange, focus extra security, preventative with high customer numbers. We also know that assaults are a problem on the New Street to measures and victim support.”

Lichfield City Line, due to antisocial behaviour.

So, we’re working with British Transport Police

� see me

We’re also creating new posters to display at stations, reminding customers of our zero tolerance approach to assaults. The investigation process for managing Repeat Victims of Assaults is also being reviewed.

Remember!

We have a zero tolerance policy on violence against our colleagues. Report verbal or physical assaults to the Control Centre and your manager, and make sure that you fill in a form and send it to dataanalyst@londonmidland.com There are 15 members in our Workforce Assaults Working Group from across the company. To find out who your nearest representative is, and to send us your suggestions or comments regarding assaults (NOT to report an assault), email the group at reducingassaultstogether@ londonmidland.com For more about staying safe at work, contact the Safety and Standards Department.

I’m a QR code – a kind of barcode. So, instead of finding a computer and keying in a web address, you can hold your smartphone’s QR scanner over me, and I’ll take you straight to the website. Simples!

4

how we’re doing

th3

num63r5 How we’re performing

Period 13

10,657

7,257

minutes

Period 13

Period 1

186 167

Period 1

minutes

88 75

94 92

92.1

92.6

92.6

93.5 90.5

90

89.2

90.5

90.6

88

% 86 84

90.5% VIRGIN TRAINS

(all of the above industry periods)

85.9%

London Midland MAA

P1

CHILTERN

93.0%

INDUSTRY AVERAGE

91.8%

SOUTHEASTERN

91.7%

GREATER ANGLIA

90.9% 90.6%

SOUTHERN

80 Regional PPM London and (Non-London Services) Southeastern PPM

90.0%

SOUTHERN

82 London Midland PPM

90.9%

GREATER ANGLIA

Find out how our PPM compares with the rest.

96

PERIOD 1

4,112

There are many Performance Improvement Plans in the JPIP to help all of us to meet these targets. They range from improving the Class 170 air and coupler systems, through to process improvements, such as tackling crime.

cancellations

PERIOD 13

down

� London Midland caused delay minutes to be no more than 138,000 for the year

To find out more about the JPIP, please email performance@londonmidland.com

PERIOD 1

down

4,848 Period 1

91.6%

delay minutes

customer complaints Period 13

INDUSTRY AVERAGE

� London Southeastern PPM MAA at end of March 2013 to be 88.7%

PERIOD 1

%

91.8%

PERIOD 13

6

SOUTHEASTERN

� PPM MAA at end of March 2013 to be 91.2%

PART FULL

Period 1

93.0%

CHILTERN

This year’s JPIP started on 1 April.

Our targets for 2012-2013 are:

PERIOD 13

%

P13

A look ahead

PERIOD 1

4.7

Find out how our PPM compares with the rest.

We’ve done well over the past year, after a good start and then some challenging times, we’ve still achieved PPM MAA of 90.5% (beating our target by 0.1%).

We caused 141,506 delay minutes against a target of 148,000 (improving year on year by 13%) and, we beat our full cancellations target by 30%.

We are one of only nine train operating companies (TOC) to equal or beat our JPIP punctuality targets, and the only Go-Ahead group TOC to do so. Well done and thank you everyone for your continued hard work.

PART FULL

Period 13

compare

A look back

PERIOD 13

customer journey growth

how we

VIRGIN TRAINS

90.0% 86.0%

5

o r w k m a e t

training and tickets

Keeping it fair for our customers is all in a day’s work for Valerie O’Brien, Barrier Revenue Protection Inspector at New Street.

As our main role is to cut down on fraud and ticketless travel, we often face challenging situations. We issue penalty fares to people who we believe choose not to buy a ticket, as well as regular tickets to those who genuinely couldn’t. We also offer advice and information if our customers require it.

Today, I’ll spend most of my shift checking tickets at the main barrier.

It can be hard on your feet, but then it

makes things like queuing at airports a doddle – once you’ve been on your feet for a 12-hour shift, a couple of hours seem like nothing!

I’ve been at New Street for four years now, after ten years in customer service at Northfield.

Although I loved my role there, I missed working in a team and wanted more stimulation.

There is always so much variety as an RPI: from interviewing persistent offenders valerie and MARTIN FRIEL AND JAYNE NOLAN

“It’s important to have the support of your colleagues and we’re a good team.”

and, if necessary, passing them on to the Prosecution Service, to giving general customer service advice.

We have great training programmes, and I find I’m learning all the time. You have to work out how to respond to different circumstances.

It’s important to have the support of your colleagues and we’re a good team.

Ultimately, we’re trying to make it fair for the majority of our customers – the ones

who always buy their tickets. It can sometimes be difficult to know who is genuine but we are empowered to make a decision; we do what we think is best at any given time.

Outside work I spend a lot of time with family and friends.

I got married a couple of years ago and my husband and I go away on holiday when we can.

I love the time off I get with this shift pattern; it means I can have a couple of days rest and then get out there and have fun – it definitely makes up for the sore feet at the end of a shift!

quick fire

Dogs or cats Definitely cats

The Voice or Brita in’s Got Talent Neither – I’d rather go out!

Club or pub Tricky because I lik e both… but I think pub.

6

safety culture survey

s together fer

In the last issue of Between the Lines we shared the early findings of our Safety Culture Survey. Here are the overall results, and more on what they mean for all of us.

O

lture Our Safety Cu ade up of m e ar Survey results ey include: three parts, th ty id in your Safe • what you sa re ai nn Culture questio anagers and senior m s or ct re di r about em • what ou th s interviewed er ch ar se re n ar said whe ry and M ch lture in Februa our safety cu cus groups ues said in fo • what colleag e views th ch includes in March, whi venue re d an n statio of traincrew, ement et and manag protection, fle s. ue ag support colle

ur safety culture is all about the attitudes, beliefs, perceptions and values that we associate with safety. We wanted to know more about what you think our culture is like and how we can improve it, because we work in a safety critical environment.

“We all say safety at work is important to us, and it is, but there are some lessons we can learn from our Safety Culture Survey,” says Head of Safety & Standards Gilbert Fraser.

The results show that recent safety initiatives from our Safety & Environment Plan have delivered excellent safety performance results, but there is still work to do to improve our safety culture. They show there’s a perception that the management team isn’t strongly committed to safety. You also commented on disputes, reorganisation and feeling overstretched at work and uncertain about future job security. All of these things contribute to our overall safety culture.

The report recommends that we investigate your concerns about welfare, and address them. It also advises that we need to improve communication to help rebuild trust and demonstrate the company’s commitment to having a positive safety culture.

Working together more will help improve the channels we have for safety feedback and reporting near misses.

How can we do this? Gilbert says: “The key is improving safety leadership and information, ensuring our managers are more visible and empowering people to implement the changes we need to boost our safety culture.

“We are going to help our managers to provide positive examples of safety at work, and look for opportunities to involve all our colleagues in conversations about safety.”

Our Safety team is working to improve communication and feedback and build this into our safety standards. It’s also working with members of the Joint Safety Committee to develop an effective near-miss reporting process to improve safety.

Local health and safety committees will discuss local results and issues, and managers and safety representatives will host local ‘safety surgeries’ where you can raise any safety concerns and talk about solutions.

More on these will be shared here and in your team briefings. Managing Director Patrick Verwer says: “I ask each of you for your help in identifying ideas for safety improvements, and helping us to deliver them. It’s only by working together that we can really address the issues that concern you, and make our company a safer place to work.”

If you’d like to know more, please get in touch with Gilbert Fraser on 0121 654 1311.

We committed in our Safety and Environment Plan 2010-2013 to undertake a safety culture survey, and to act on its results.

Independent safety management consultants Arthur D. Little conducted our Safety Culture research.

7

Hc nduct er ic

The Royal Humane Society is honouring one of our colleagues this month.

N

igel Atkins, a Senior Conductor, is being recognised by the society for his bravery in helping to save the life of a man injured on the railway in August 2009.

On Friday 22 June, he’ll be awarded a Royal Humane Society Commendation for “placing himself in danger whilst administering first aid and helping to save the life of a man in difficult circumstances.”

Our reluctant ‘hero’ Nigel, from Snow Hill, Birmingham, recalls the incident: “I was working on a train that was just coming into Stourbridge Junction station, when it came to an emergency standstill. I called the driver to find out what was happening, and he said he’d had to make an emergency stop after the train had hit a man and that the man was under the train.

“The driver contacted the signalman and control to tell them about the incident, while I safely evacuated our customers. I also

stopped a train that was heading towards us from being involved in the situation. Then, I climbed under our train to assess the man’s injuries.

“He was semi-conscious and I suspected that he had suffered severe internal injuries. I’m a trained first aider, so I knew to administer first aid until paramedics arrived.”

Nigel stayed with the man, talking to him until the paramedics arrived and then helping to give him oxygen.

He also advised firefighters on how to safely move the man from under the train without injuring themselves in the process.

“He was airlifted to Selly Oak Hospital and spent a week in intensive care. I’ve since heard he made a full recovery,” says Nigel.

“I guess it was just one of those moments when instinct kicks in.

I was relieved he was still alive and just thought to myself ‘right let’s keep him that way’. I’m glad I could help and I’d do the same again if I had to.”

This isn’t the first time that Nigel, who is a trained first aider, has acted heroically. In August 2008 he administered first aid to a man who tried to take a short cut across the train track at Old Hill Tunnel at Rowley Regis and was hit by a train. Sadly, the man died shortly after the incident.

In 2008 and 2009, Nigel received the London Midland Gold Awards Managing Director’s Special Award (predecessor to our Ambassador Special Award). They recognised his professional response to the two incidents.

Nigel adds: “I’m really proud to be receiving this Commendation, but I don’t think I’m a hero. I was just glad to be able to help the man

and to know that he’s ok. I think my colleagues are quite proud of me too, which is nice.”

Speaking of which, we asked Nigel what advice he’d give to colleagues who may one day find themselves faced with similar circumstances.

He says: “Consider your own wellbeing first, remain calm, and only do what you are confident and comfortable to do in the circumstances.”

Nigel with colleagues Kerry Neal and Carol Coates

Nigel will be commended at a ceremony in London on Friday 22 June. It could be a double celebration, as he awaits the birth of his first son with partner Amanda this month.

8

dispatch

spirit!

that’s the

What do our dispatch teams do when there’s major disruption on the railway, and there are no trains to… dispatch? We asked the team at Watford Junction.

A

couple of months ago we had one of those weekends where it felt like everything that could go wrong did,” says Watford Junction Dispatcher Jamie Walsh. “Early one Friday in February a freight train derailed on the West Coast Main Line near Bletchley. It blocked the Euston line for about 12 hours, and we couldn’t dispatch our trains or those we usually dispatch for Virgin Trains, for most of that day,” he explains.

“It was a major disruption situation. Customers travelling south of Watford weren’t affected, but the only way north was a Virgin Trains shuttle from Watford to Tring.

Then, things got worse when track and overhead power lines were damaged near Hemel Hempstead, and six inch snow covered the platforms here.

“I was on leave that weekend, but came into work after getting a call from my manager,” says Jamie.

“The whole team, and the rest of our station colleagues pulled together, jumping into customer service

“

There are…

14 of us: that’s a manager, delivery manager and 13 dispatchers At the station… there are 11 platforms, serving the West Coast Main Line, Watford DC line to Euston and the Abbey Line to St Albans We work…

24 hours a day over a ‘four days on’ and ‘two days off’ shift pattern. Our earliest shift starts at 5.30am and latest finish is 6.30am We dispatch…

50 trains every day for Virgin Trains, Scotrail and London Midland turnback services Our role is… to safely and efficiently dispatch trains into and out of the station, and provide professional service to our customers.

mode to give people advice and information on alternative travel options. “It was good to be able to help out in a crisis – and our customers appreciated it – because they told us on Twitter.”

teamwork Acting Customer Service Manager Fiona Hobbs, praised their spirit.

“The team really rallied together,” she says. “People who were on duty gave customers advice on alternative transport options and helped to clear the snow. Colleagues not on duty offered to help where they could. Although it was stressful, and they put in long hours, everyone was calm, professional and took it in their stride. We had lots of positive customer feedback that weekend, who rather than complaining, actually praised everyone for their professionalism and help.”

safety critical So what’s a ‘regular’ day like in the life of a dispatcher at Watford Junction?

Delivery Manager William Bell, laughs: “You never know what the working day will bring. Anything that interrupts ‘usual service’, such as a derailment, accident, or delays elsewhere on the lines, can change what’s required in an instant.”

The team’s main role is to safely dispatch trains into and out of the station. They also help disabled customers to and from trains, and provide customer service at the station. As you’d expect, it’s a safety critical job, requiring specialist training and constant assessment to ensure each dispatcher is performing safely.

Day-to-day, it requires focus, attention to detail, and ensuring that the right signals are used at the right times. This enables them to clearly communicate with conductors and drivers, so that services in and out of the station run as they should (that’s where the black and white batons come in).

“Communication is really key,” says Fiona. “We coordinate

9

own BlackBerry, which is making communication between our colleagues and control almost instant. Everyone’s better informed, meaning they can pass timely, correct and consistent information to customers during major disruption.

It’s definitely an improvement on our old radio system.”

“We had lots of positive feedback from customers that weekend, who rather than complaining, actually praised everyone at the station for their professionalism and help.”

PANG SIMON

customer first Acting Head of Station Services Brenda Lawrence, says: “These improvements, together with the support and focus of everyone at the station, will further improve our customer satisfaction scores.”

change to come Major change is on the way at Watford Junction over the next few months.

It’s having an upgrade under a £2.5 million scheme, part of the National Stations Improvement WILLIAM BELL Programme for 2012. It will include installing a new dispatch from our main office entrance, relocating station traders, on Platform 6, where we use creating more room for people to Tyrell to monitor the network move around the station, better and keep dispatchers up-to-date lighting and a heated waiting room. on what’s happening and anything “We’re looking forward to the that may impact their work. improvements,” says Fiona. “It will Since the introduction of Passenger mean a better working environment Information During Disruption for our teams and a more modern (PIDD), each platform now has its station for our customers.

Brenda Lawrence, Acting Head of Station Services

‘star’ spotting

THE WATFORD JUNCTION DISPATCH TEAM

� thank you

Did you know that many famous faces – from footballers to film stars – pass through the station.

The England football squad often stay nearby at The Grove Hotel when they’re playing at Wembley. Leavesden Studios, where the Harry Potter films were made, are a taxi ride away. Jamie, who started his rail career

working as a cleaner in 1995, later working the ticket barriers and training as a dispatcher, says: “I’ve seen Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool players come through here, as well as Shane Ritchie from Eastenders, who’s a very nice bloke, and actor Vinnie Jones. Our team’s even been photographed with the FA Cup.”

“Thanks to everyone for handling the exceptionally challenging events of the weekend of 3-5 February. Our teams kept services running, where possible, and looked after our customers. It’s really appreciated,” says Wallace Weatherill, Operations and Safety Director

10

engineering management

EQUINOX: R MAKING LIFE EASIE

a ne

daw

new

11

Equinox is here and our new engineering management system promises to save time, money and red tape. Music to our teams’ ears!

I

wn

t’s innovative, effective, efficient and will transform how everyone in fleet production works. How? Equinox is a management system developed specifically for our industry that’s designed to manage resourcing, procurement, assets, components and materials in a speedy and simple way.

It’s already used across our owning company’s other businesses, and we’re excited about how it will improve the working lives of colleagues here.

Trevor Hendrick is our Equinox Systems Manager, responsible for trialling and rolling out the system. He says that our depots have traditionally used Uniplan for materials and various systems for maintenance. Equinox combines these into a one-stop shop system for everyone to use.

“All of the different systems we’ve used in the past meant a lot of paperwork and red tape,” explains Trevor. “All of our trains have to be serviced at specific intervals and every single aspect of that is recorded on paper. This means every depot has hundreds of files, which have to be searched when different parts of the business need access to different information.

“Equinox reduces the storage space needed for our files and the hours wasted searching for information because it makes things simple.

All of the information on our fleet is in one place and accessible to

our technicians, managers and TREVOR K HENDRIC electricians from any location.

Anyone using it can also set up bespoke report templates, which are “We’re using Soho as the first constantly updated with live data.” test site, as it’s self-contained and “Introducing Equinox also means that our owning company Go-Ahead only works on one type of fleet,” says Trevor. “It’s easy to manage will have a common system across and control and we went live with all of its TOCs so that they can it at the start of April.” clearly see how maintenance and The Tyseley rollout began on 30 repairs are working.”

Trevor is responsible for the phased April, with 18 people using Equinox.

This autumn the workshop module implementation of Equinox across will go live, with another 120 our two main manufacturing depots colleagues working with the system.

– Soho and Tyseley.

The Soho trial Stephen Nash, Assistant Technician at Soho Depot, was the first colleague to use Equinox, trialling it at Soho. Here’s what he thought.

“It’s quite daunting to be told you’re going to start working on a brand new system. I was so familiar with Uniplan that I was worried it would be difficult to make the transition. But I did plenty of training before going live, which focused on reports and my operational day-to-day tasks.

I also have loads of scripts to work with and plenty of help was on hand if something went wrong. So, in the end it was all pretty straightforward.

“It’s early days but Equinox is definitely an improvement.

It works in a different way to our previous system and is faster and more centralised. I’m happy with the way it’s working.

Once I got used to how you use it was definitely easier.

“With Uniplan we’d had to manually email purchase orders, which is a big part of my role, but Equinox auto generates an email and interfaces with the financial system. As we’ve been bedding it in I’ve been checking everything has been working and liaising with Trevor to make sure any bugs are ironed out.”

Project Manager Jason Jones has been key to ensuring that this project is on track, by making sure that everyone is focused on delivering to target and on budget.

The IT Applications team have also played a key roll by dedicating Jo Telford to the project, creating the link between Fleet and Finance systems, and ensuring an almost seamless transition from Uniplan to stephen Equinox. nash

12

lo e

BECKY: “A wonderful surprise”

is in the air

Looks like Cupid’s been busy at Crewe, with seven engagements in the past few months…

DUBAI ROCK MY WORLD journey that started in Staffordshire will end in DELIGHT AAmerica, when Senior Conductor Chris Robson When Senior Conductor Becky Cooper went to Dubai with her partner, DTCM Toc Rauf, she didn’t know that it was anything more than just a mini-break: “We went for afternoon tea at the Burj Al Arab and, out of the blue, he asked me to marry him!

It was a wonderful surprise. We’re getting married in October – I didn’t want to give him a chance to change his mind!”

Dubai

marries his fiancée Mandy: “I proposed at the Mow Cop folly because it’s so beautiful. I think I always knew she was the one. This year is also my 40th birthday, so we’ve decided to go all out and we’re getting married in December at the Rockefeller Center in New York.”

A PARIS PROPOSAL Senior Conductor Jason Wardle took his partner to Paris to propose: “Tracie thought it was just a couple of days away and was shocked when I asked her to marry me. We’d only been together for 10 months. It just felt right so I popped the question.

We’re getting married in New York in 2014.”

LEAP OF FAITH It was a role reversal when Driver Mick Jacques was proposed to by his fiancée Mags: “She booked for us to go away for a quiet New Year’s Eve together. Just after midnight, we went outside to see in the New Year and she proposed. She pointed out that as it was after midnight it was technically a Leap Year!

We haven’t set a date yet, but it’ll be in the next 18 months.”

NTRE) JASON WARDLE (CEage Armit tie ka h wit er and becky coop

CHRISTMAS SURPRISE Senior Conductor Katie Armitage had an extra gift under the tree – but it took a while to find it!

“My fiancé got me a surprise present – a really cute wooden toy train. I put it together but then put it to one side. Half an hour later I realised an engagement ring was hidden inside it!

Apparently my parents knew all about it and had helped him to keep the secret!”

BOX OF DELIGHTS

and

JOHN A birthday treat to York SuZanne wasn’t all that was in store for Senior Conductor John Lancaster’s other half: “I had it all worked out. Over dinner I gave Suzanne the ring box with a note asking her to marry me.

But it got wedged under the lid so she didn’t see it! I ended up going down on one knee to make it clear that I was proposing.”

13

Charity –

have your say

W

h! mark flying hig

Subject: ‘Dizzy heights’ (Issue 3)

What a rush!

I finally did my charity skydive! I arrived at Langar Airfield in Nottingham where my instructor took me through everything I needed to safely complete the jump. We got onto a plane, which took us to 13,000 feet. The exit door was opened and one by one people on their first skydive (like me!) jumped out.

The sensation is really hard to explain. I expected to feel like I was losing my belly as I jumped out, but it was nothing like that.

Talk to us...

I got a big mad rush as I started freefalling at 120mph. It went calmer once the parachute was up, then my instructor let me control our direction, showing me how to slow us down and turn, then he did it and made us go really fast.

It was amazing, and I’m proud to have done it.

Thank you to colleagues who sponsored me – I’ve raised £1,181 for Cancer Research UK. From: Mark Payne, Driver, Birmingham New Street.

And you could win high street vouchers. Send your questions/letters to ‘inbox’ at btl@londonmidland.com

e’re already incredibly proud of the work you do to support charities, and we’d like to understand how we can support you more effectively as a company. It’s all part of our ‘Planet’ Goals, which is about us giving something back to the communities we serve.

So, some colleagues have set up a working group to investigate how we might better support charities, and the first thing they’re asking for are your views.

Apeksha Naik, HR Business Partner – Conductors, who is a member of the group, says: “We’d really like to hear from as many people as possible. Please tell us, what we could do differently to support good causes. What charities would you like us to support?

Should we have a single company-wide charity we all support over the year? What help or support can we give you towards the work you do?”

Have your say on the charity work we do now and in the future. Email your thoughts to charityideas@londonmidland.com or contact the group on 07775 824209.

� cake and ride! well done to our Customer Relations team who,

together with colleagues, raised £286 during a recent bake sale and ‘cycle off’.

The money will go to Cancer Research UK and chosen children’s charities.

24

14

work/life

hour info and advice

Mental health problems will affect one in four people at some point in their lives.

Stress, anxiety and depression are all examples of mental health problems, and our mental health is closely linked to our physical health.

easing

strain

the

T

hese problems could affect you, someone in your family, a friend or a colleague.

In this issue of Between the Lines, I’m talking about what I’ve learned about the causes and symptoms of mental health issues, how they can affect our health and wellbeing, and the help that’s available.

A person’s mental health is described as “how we think and feel about ourselves and our lives and the impact on our behaviour and how we cope in tough times”.

Stress, depression or anxiety can affect our ability to make the most of the opportunities that come our way, and prevent us from playing a full part in our family, workplace, and friends.

Too much stress can result in various health problems, including high blood pressure, headaches or more serious problems such as a stroke or heart disease. That’s why it’s so important to recognise the signs and symptoms associated with stress to try and address them.

Everybody gets stressed at some point in life, but it’s when you start to feel out of control that alarm bells should start ringing…

STRESS WARNING SIGNS: � inability to concentrate � seeing only the negative � irritability and being unable to relax � eating more or less � sleeping too much or too little � using alcohol or cigarettes to relax/allow you to cope.

YOU CAN HELP TO KEEP YOURSELF IN GOOD MENTAL HEALTH BY: � � � � � � � �

talking about your feelings being active eating well keeping in touch with friends and loved ones asking for help when you need it taking a break doing something you’re good at and enjoy accepting who you are.

Many people with mental health issues use physical exercise to help manage them.

Research shows that when you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins, these endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain. Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in your body.

Some GPs can prescribe exercise sessions and activities, free of charge to patients with mental health issues. I used to work for an Exercise on Prescription team, and 75 per cent of the patients I saw were referred based on their mental health. After exercising about three times a week for about six weeks I saw a vast improvement in their general wellbeing, including more confidence, fewer anxieties and managed stress levels.

MORE INFO

, a family member, If you’re worried that you stressed, anxious friend or colleague may be le. You can speak ilab ava is p or depressed hel tact HR for some with your manager or con also contact can confidential advice. You confidential a , nce ista Ass Bupa Employee hou 24- r telephone advice service. It offers: a to specialist ess acc service, giving you call ice, adv and information more 0800 269 616 or find out line pon /ea .uk at www.bupa.co

70,000

one of

15

games makers

LYNN BELLFIELD

it’s in

m a G es e th A lifetime love of athletics led Station Accounts Supervisor Lynn Bellfield to the London 2012 Olympic Games. There she will join almost 70,000 other ‘Games Makers’ – highly skilled volunteers who will help keep the show on the road.

T

he former sprinter has made it through the rigorous selection process put in place by Games partners McDonalds, and will be part of the Athletics Admin team during the Games.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” says Lynn.

“My sister and I have Lynn’s most d been athletics coaches looking forwar for over 30 years and ’s in ta to watching Bri so we jumped at the ng chance to apply.” number one lo , te le h Lynn spent her at ce n dista formative years . h ra Mo Fa competing at County level in events including

100m sprint and hurdles. A serious injury cut short her budding athletics career but undaunted she trained to become a Coach and Official and has been teaching young athletes track and field for over 30 years.

She also officiates at competitions and competes at Master level in race walking.

“My sister, Julie, has always been a race walker.

After I was injured, I switched disciplines as it’s easier on the joints. I absolutely love athletics and am dedicated to the sport. I’m really excited to be part of such an historic event.”

Both Lynn and Julie have completed their orienteering and training for their positions. Their final date before the Games begin is to get their uniform fitted later this month.

Security searches We want our colleagues and customers to be able to work and travel safely. Security searches are important, and possibly more so at times when security risks are heightened, for example with the upcoming Games.

Thorough searching techniques can help to reduce the risk of a terrorist attack on our network.

Unless there is a change in Security Level across the country the search regimes we use will remain as they are. If it changes you’ll be notified as soon as possible. The priority should be searching all areas the general public has easy access to, including on train, in car parks and tenancies.

Remember the HOT Protocol and report anything suspicious as soon as possible.

50

16

more than

rides and attractions

s r e w Alton To Resort!

a family ticket to

trip of a

lifetime A

lifetime’s ambition was fulfilled

by Platform Dispatcher Prince Ankomah Carr when he went on a personal pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

“I’ve always wanted to go to Israel and see the places mentioned in the Bible,” says Prince.

“Experiencing all the shrines and places for myself has reinforced my faith as a Christian.”

The Euston-based dispatcher joined 45 members of his church on the guided tour.

Starting in Tel Aviv, they took in the Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem, Nazareth, the Church of the Nativity and much more.

He adds: “I also had the opportunity to be on Mount Tabor where Jesus was transfigured in the presence of Peter, John and James.

It was a great experience and I would highly recommend the trip.”

W

e’re giving away a fantastic summer prize – a family ticket for four people to the Alton Towers Theme Park!

As well as enjoying the thrills and fun of more than 50 favourite rides and attractions including Air, Oblivion and The Flume, there are two new attractions for 2012, Ice Age The 4-D Experience and Nemesis Sub-Terra.

The Ice Age cinema combines 3-D footage, and is based on the third movie in the blockbuster series, with an exhilarating variety of physical effects including icy blasts, snow and bubbles. Fans can also meet Sid and Scrat around the Alton Towers Resort.

Nemesis Sub-Terra is a psychologically and physically thrilling experience, in a dark, intense underground setting, based around the back-story of the original Nemesis attraction, which opened in 1994. Nemesis Sub-Terra is set to be one of the resort’s most terrifying attractions!

The Alton Towers Resort is the UK’s number one theme park. To be in with a chance of winning a family ticket for four people to the Alton Towers Theme Park, answer the following question:

Q: Who is receiving a Royal Humane Society Commendation this month?

Put the word ‘Theme’ as the title of an email and send your answer, with your name, job title, location and contact details to btl@londonmidland.com or text your answer to 07530 973042.

The closing date for entries is Friday 29 June. The winner will be selected at random. Please note there is only one prize.

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We’ve got a fab-tastic competition for you – three pairs of tickets for The Beatles Story in Liverpool are up for grabs!

For your chance to win a pair of tickets for The Beatles Story at the Albert Dock in Liverpool, (and don’t forget you can get there by train!) simply answer the following question:

Q: What’s the name of the first movie starring the Beatles?

Yeah, Ye a Yeah! h,

Put the word ‘Beatles’ in the title of an email and send your answer, with your name, job title, location and contact details to btl@londonmidland.com or text your answer and details to 07530 973042.

w his tle

st op

The closing date for entries is Friday 6 July. The winner will be selected at random.

Please note there are three prizes, each is for one pair of tickets.

� congratulations!

to Retail Assistant Mike Rees, from Wylde Green station. He won the Kindle Keyboard (issue 5). Mike says: “That’s brilliant, thank you! I think I’ll download a classic – perhaps a Dickens novel – to get me started.”

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