Avanti West Coast helps preserve rock salt with community donation

• Avanti West Coast partners with Railway Mission to find home for surplus rock salt
• Charity supports efforts to repurpose 1,000 kilos of salt previously used on railway
• Donations will help community groups in Warrington and Lancashire prepare for winter

Avanti West Coast has donated a thousand kilograms of surplus rock salt to local community groups to help them get winter ready.  

Working with Railway Mission, the Avanti West Coast team at Warrington Bank Quay station identified groups in the town, as well as Lancashire, who could make use of the unwanted salt.

Customer Service Assistant, Steph Doohan came up with the idea to repurpose the salt, after the station was left with 45 redundant bags when the intercity operator switched to an alternative to de-ice its platforms.

Steph volunteers as a Green Champion to support the train operator’s environmental initiatives, and approached Mike Roberts, who works as a Chaplain for Railway Mission (a Christian faith-based charity offering pastoral care to staff and members of the public on the rail network), to reach out to groups that would benefit from rock salt this winter.

“At Avanti West Coast we’re being encouraged to reuse, recycle, and repurpose. While we’re no longer using this salt on the railway, it is still great for lots of uses. Our Railway Chaplain linked us up with a rural community group in Lancashire who will also use their resources to help the community,” said Steph. 

Mike Roberts, Railway Mission Chaplain, said: “It was heavy work as we loaded just over a thousand kilos but this is going to support a community involving a local church, community facilities, and a community-owned and run pub, which is only fifteen minutes off the West Coast Main Line. It’s great to see Avanti West Coast supporting their local communities and making a conscious effort to do the green thing.”

Leonie Purvis, Avanti West Coast Station Manager at Warrington Bank Quay, said: “I’m really proud of the efforts of Steph and the team, as well as our Railway Chaplain to find a good home for the salt, as we want to make a positive difference to the people and places we serve. Donating the bags is a brilliant idea to responsibly repurpose our unwanted materials and we hope they will serve the many community groups well this winter.” 

ENDS