WEEKLY
TOGETHER
TAKING THE NORTH FURTHER | THURSDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2023
(L-R) Andrew Murray, Lucas Whitehead, Dennis Keogh, Luke Tetlow-Cross, Chris Nutton (Major Projects Director) and Ian Watson (Driver)
REMINDING CUSTOMERS THAT ‘IT’S OKAY TO TALK’ To mark International Men’s Day (IMD) this coming Sunday, we’ve partnered with Andy’s Man Club (AMC) for a new train wrap. To remind customer’s that it’s okay to talk, we’ve wrapped one of our Class 185 trains, with the aim of raising awareness of men’s mental health.
Chris Nutton (Major Projects Director) and AMC is a men’s suicide prevention Elaine Roberts (co-founder of Andy's Man Club) charity that provides safe, judgement-free spaces for men to talk freely. Every Monday at 19:00, 150 meetings take place nationwide in which men can talk about how they’re feeling or even just sit and listen. The train was welcomed into Hull by Elaine Roberts, co-founder of AMC. Elaine set up the charity in 2016 following the death of her son, Andrew Roberts, by suicide. Luke Ambler, co-founder of AMC said: “A massive thank you to TPE for their support in creating a unique train wrap for Andy’s Man Club. As a donation led charity, we are extremely grateful to receive support of this nature and we know that the train will get in front of men in need at the right time.” Ian Watson, Driver, was a driving force behind the train wrap. Ian is a facilitator for AMC, attending his first meeting early last year. He has since been a leading voice in raising awareness of the charity and the incredible support they provide within TPE. You can discover more about AMC and find your nearest club at: https://andysmanclub.co.uk/ If you see the AMC train out and about on our network, send your pictures to tpecommunications@tpexpress.co.uk.
OUR PERFORMANCE PERIOD 8 WEEK 4 Time to 3
ON OR ABOVE TARGET
Target 58.61%
57.99%
NO Target 94.82%
Time to 15 Cancellations
89.40%
NO
9.12%
NO
Target 5.08%
T3 and T15 performance has declined since the previous week. Cancellations have also increased on the previous week. What held us back? Landslips in Dewsbury and Aycliffe caused significant disruption across the North Route.
WIN A COPY OF ‘BILLY NO MATES’ BY MAX DICKINS To mark International Men’s Day we have two copies of Max Dickins’ new book ‘Billy No Mates’ to giveaway. When Max decided to propose to his girlfriend, he realised he didn’t have anyone to be his best man. He found that he isn’t the only man struggling with finding and keeping friendships. ‘Billy No Mates’ documents his exploration into male friendships, examining previous friendships, and even bringing him to a ‘Rent A Friend’ website. To be in with a chance of winning simply email tpecommunications@tpexpress.co.uk and winners will be drawn at random.
MEET ONE OF OUR MENTAL HEALTH AMBASSADORS We have 35 Mental Health Ambassadors (MHAs) across our network, they’re a listening ear for all colleagues if they need help and support. We spoke to Thomas Ward, Customer Service Supervisor at Thornaby and MHA, about his experience as an ambassador and why it’s so important for men to talk.
Why did you become a Mental Health Ambassador?
THOMAS WARD
A GUIDE TO IMD For International Men’s Day (IMD) we’ve produced a guide to help you understand the meaning of IMD, how to acknowledge IMD, and some useful tips for men on IMD. You can find the guide in the ‘Inclusion at TPE’ section on the Loop.
I jumped at the chance to become a Mental Health Ambassador. It showed TPE’s recognition of how important our mental health is. Struggling with my own mental health, the training sessions were helpful. I think mental health will always be a bit of a mystery because we don’t know what’s going on in other’s heads.
Why is it so important for men to talk?
It’s so important to be able to talk about how we are feeling, otherwise we think that we are alone against the world. Because we live in our heads talking can bring relief and clarity. It can still be difficult for men to talk. The stereotype still hangs over men that they should be tough, confident and blokeish.
Do you have any tips for men going through a mental health issue?
Find what works for you. Get out into the countryside, find a counsellor, family member, friend or colleague you can talk to. Break the ice on your thinking. It might only take a sunny walk, random joke or different point of view to really make the difference. A full list of our Mental Health Ambassadors can be found in the ‘HR Zone’ on the Loop.
COMMEMORATING REMEMBRANCE DAY Many of the stations around our network took part in Remembrance Day services, commemorating those who lost their lives in war. See below some pictures of our colleagues at Edinburgh Waverly remembering the sacrifices made around the world.
PUTTING SMILES ON CUSTOMERS’ FACES Colleagues were in Huddersfield on Monday celebrating World Kindness Day. Throughout the morning complimentary teas and coffees were given out to customers by Kamilla, Customer Host, to help put a smile on a few faces. We were also joined by the Samaritans, who chatted to customers and told them about the amazing work they do.
GOING THE EXTRA MILE! We’re always receiving amazing feedback from customers, here’s just a few messages we were sent last week:
OUR CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY IS COMING… Our incredibly popular Christmas giveaway is coming back for another year. From 1-24 December we’ll be giving away a variety of prizes to a lucky colleague every day. Keep your eyes peeled to find out what amazing prizes we have up for grabs this year. The giveaway will be hosted on The Loop, our colleague app, so make sure you can log in. If you can’t login or need a password refresher, email: tpecommunications@tpexpress.co.uk
Do you have a story for Together Weekly? We’d love to hear it. Email us at TPECommunications@tpexpress.co.uk