Mural unveiled at Birmingham International station as part of campaign to prevent violence against women and girls

• Avanti West Coast unveils mural at Birmingham International station to mark White Ribbon Day
• Designed by local artist, the artwork encourages men to speak up in preventing violence against women and girls
• The mural was delivered in partnership with Heart of England CRP and White Ribbon charity

A mural designed to raise awareness for a campaign to prevent male violence against women and girls has been unveiled at Birmingham International station.

To mark White Ribbon Day (25 November), Avanti West Coast worked in collaboration with Heart of England Community Rail Partnership (CRP) and the White Ribbon charity to commission the artwork which has been installed on Platform 1.

Designed by West Midlands based artist Emily Marlowe, the mural depicts men of different ages and ethnicities alongside thought-provoking subtle questions encouraging them to speak up for women and girls.

The installation at Birmingham International builds on the existing working relationship between Emily, Heart of England CRP and White Ribbon, to create pieces of artwork in support of the charity for railway stations across the West Midlands.

Last year, Avanti West Coast became an accredited organisation for White Ribbon, which continues the intercity operator’s commitment to embed the charity’s values into its business. These include ensuring that the operator remains a positive and safe working environment for women, encouraging more male leaders across its colleagues to promote equality, and continuing to support local communities along its route.

White Ribbon is the UK’s leading charity to engage men and boys to end gender inequality aggression against women and girls by addressing root causes as well as long-established attitudes in society.

To further mark White Ribbon Day, a choir consisting of colleagues from across the Avanti West Coast network will be singing a rendition of Coldplay’s ‘Fix You’ at Birmingham International and Crewe stations to raise awareness of the charity and its important work. They will then join representatives from Crewe Town Council and Her-Place Charitable Trust to take the SafeHER Crewe walking route from the railway station to the town centre, which offers safe spaces in the area for women and girls. 

In early 2026, another White Ribbon mural designed by Emily and commissioned by Avanti West Coast and Heart of England CRP will be installed at Rugby station.

Dave Whitehouse, Safety Director at Avanti West Coast said: “We are dedicated to making the railway a safer place for all, and this mural plays an important role in highlighting White Ribbon’s work to prevent male violence against women and girls.

“By working with our community partners, White Ribbon themselves and a local passionate artist, we wanted to create something at Birmingham International that starts a conversation as well as making people stop and reflect on this important topic in society.”

Lynne Elliot, CEO of White Ribbon UK said: “We are really pleased to have worked with the Heart of England CRP, Avanti West Coast and Emily on this project, and it is brilliant to see the mural on display Birmingham International station. It looks amazing!

The mural really sparks reflection amongst commuters by showing every day actions men can do to make everyone feel safe, equal and respected.”

Julia Singleton-Tasker, Lead Officer at Heart of England Community Rail Partnership said: “The Heart of England CRP feels privileged to have worked with Emily Kaye Illustrations again this year to create a mural that promotes the White Ribbon UK campaign.

“With thanks to the funding and collaboration of Avanti West Coast, the mural at Birmingham International provides is a great way to highlight how we can all work together to prevent violence towards women.”

Emily Marlowe, the artist who designed the mural, said: “I'm really happy to see the artwork in place at Birmingham International – it's something that can be taken in from multiple different perspectives.

“I tried to portray something that is both informative and optimistic, and I hope people will be intrigued and curious to learn more about the great work being done by White Ribbon. It'll definitely catch your eye if you're passing on a train or waiting on the platform.”

ENDS