Avanti West Coast’s Community Champion named Unsung Hero at Women in Rail Awards

• Laura Warwick, Team Leader at Runcorn, wins the Unsung Hero prize
• Award recognises her wide-ranging support for local communities
• She is an advocate for mental health awareness and has set up drop-in wellbeing sessions at her station

An Avanti West Coast Community Champion has won the prestigious Unsung Hero prize at this year’s Women in Rail Awards.

Laura Warwick, who is a Team Leader at Runcorn station, was presented with the award for her community work to support the wider Runcorn, Widnes and Halton areas.

She has delivered many social initiatives across the region, including leading her own idea to transform the waiting room at Runcorn into a joint-function space to support community events.

In addition, she regularly speaks at local schools on Rail Safety and she is an avid supporter of Avanti West Coast’s “Feel-good Field Trips” initiative.

As part of the programme, she works closely with the local council and the Tate Gallery in Liverpool to arrange fun days out for children from disadvantaged school districts who might not otherwise be able to afford the experience.

Laura is a huge advocate for mental health awareness and has set up a weekly well-being drop-in session at Runcorn station alongside local peer support group, ‘It’s Good 2 Talk’.

She is also fully trained in direct suicide prevention interventions, and only recently as last year, Laura identified a vulnerable woman at risk and made sure she received the care she needed.  

She was presented with the award at a ceremony in central London last night (18 May). Returning to Runcorn, following her win, to a guard of honour at the station from her colleagues, Laura said:

“I am absolutely blown away and I feel really overwhelmed with gratitude to have received this award.

“This accomplishment is not something that I did alone, there are so many people that deserve to share this award. I would like to thank my whole team at Runcorn who have supported my vision in bringing our local community, charities and support groups to our stations. Together we can squash the stigma surrounding mental health and so many other relatable issues.”

Simon Brooks, Avanti West Coast, Station Manager for Liverpool and Runcorn said: “This award is massively deserved as Laura is an absolute inspiration to her colleagues, customers and the wider community of Runcorn for her tireless work to improve local people’s lives.

ENDS