TOGETHER A VERY SPECIAL BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

TPE colleagues helped give a young boy from Scarborough a birthday to remember last week.

Ernest Skelton is a train fanatic who has been fascinated by trains for as long as his parents can remember. This year his mum wanted to make Ernie’s eighth birthday extra special and so she got in touch with us to tell us about his love of trains and we were keen to make sure we gave Ernie the ultimate railway celebration.

Ernie’s day began with Steve Whitehead, Lead Driver Manager, giving him some presents from TPE including his own driver’s uniform before he got a tour of his favourite train – the Nova 3. Ernie and his family were then treated to seats in first class for their trip to York and Ernie was given one more surprise, a front row seat in the driver’s cab! He was even allowed to sound the horn when they drove past a whistle board.

Cycle The Month For Prostate Cancer Uk

Sheldon Hicks, Senior Project Manager, will be taking part in the Cycle the Month challenge all in aid of Prostate Cancer UK. Throughout the month of August, Sheldon will be cycling an amazing 200 miles.

One in eight men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime and it’s the third most fatal type of cancer in the UK. Prostate Cancer UK funds

Aggie Skelton, Ernest’s mother said: “I cannot thank TransPennine Express enough for making Ernie’s birthday dreams come true.

“It was a genuinely amazing day, from the birthday greeting on the information screens when we arrived at the station, to watching Ernie's response when he found out he'd be travelling in the driver's cab.” lifesaving research for men and their families affected by the disease.

If you would like to support Sheldon and help Prostate Cancer UK fund this incredible research, you can donate on his JustGiving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/sheldons-cycle-the-monthchallenge

Earlier this month, teams from TOCs across the network came together to take part in the Railway Football Tournament, with TPE represented by colleagues from Newcastle. The day started amazingly for team TPE as they thrashed FC Avanti 4-0. The ‘Western Wallabies’ were also no match, with TPE Newcastle winning 4-1. TPE Newcastle did incredibly in the group stage, coming out on top after winning four of their five matches. Unfortunately, the 25-degree heat started to take its toll on the team and they were knocked out in the quarter finals, losing 2-0 to a team from Network Rail.

A big shout out to Dan Arkle, who was the team’s top scorer on the day. The tournament took place at Racing Club Warwick Football Club and was organised by colleagues from Network Rail.