Coffee and Chat with Govia Thameslink Railway
Wednesday 9 October 12:00pm - Thursday 31 October 3:00pm
Thameslink Railway Stations (Across the South East, London and East of England)
This October and November, Sight Loss Councils invite blind and partially sighted people to their ‘Coffee and Chat’ event with Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) in stations across London, the South East and the East of England.
About the event
Are you someone who avoids travelling by train?
Would you like to travel by rail but find the idea daunting?
If you are blind or partially sighted, we invite you to our informal coffee and chat events. Join us and learn what GTR does to make rail travel accessible, and how you can access their transport network.
Sight Loss Councils (SLC), funded by Thomas Pocklington Trust, are led by blind and partially sighted (BPS) volunteers. We focus on accessible public transport because BPS people have told us it matters to them the most.
SLCs in London, the South East, and East of England, are working with GTR to further improve the accessibility of six of their stations for BPS travellers through their ‘Your Station, Your Community’ grant programme.
To launch this work, GTR and SLCs invite you to join them to their coffee and chat events to learn more.
By attending our event to launch this work, you will:
- learn what Sight Loss Councils are doing to make trains more accessible for BPS people
- hear from Sight Loss Council volunteers sharing their experiences about train travel
- meet the station manager and learn more about the support that is already available
- have the opportunity to feedback what makes you anxious about train travel and how your journeys could be improved
- get to ask questions and receive advice from frequent travellers.
Mary, South West London SLC volunteer, exiting a train with her Guide Dog
Event details
East of England
Bedfordshire Sight Loss Council is hosting two events at Luton Airport Parkway and Stevenage station. Full details and booking can be found below.
Samantha Leftwich, Engagement Manager for East England, said:
“Bedfordshire Sight Loss Council are excited to invite you to their coffee and chat events as part of our ‘Your Station, Your Community’ project with Govia Thameslink Railway.
“Train travel is essential across the East of England. The accessibility of these services not only enables blind and partially sighted people go about their day-to-day lives locally, but also connects them to wider transport networks.
“We want to hear from you about your experiences and how this project can build your confidence in using the network.”
Luton Parkway – Event details
- Date and time: Monday, 28 October 2024, 10am – 12pm
- Venue: Main entrance, Luton Airport Parkway station, Parkway Road, Luton, Bedford, LU1 3JW
- This event is free to attend
- Booking required: Are you bringing a guide or companion? If so, they will need to book a separate place under their name. This is to help us manage numbers for the size of the venue.
- Booking closes 5pm. Friday, 25 September
Stevenage Station – Event details
- Date and time: Thursday, 31 October, 10am – 12pm
- Venue: Stevenage station, Lytton Way, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 LXT
- This event is free to attend
- Booking required: Are you bringing a guide or companion? If so, they will need to book a separate place under their name. This is to help us manage numbers for the size of the venue.
- Booking closes 5pm. Thursday, 30 October
South East England
East Sussex Sight Loss Council is running two sessions.
The first will be held at Eastbourne train station on Thursday, 7 November.
The second will be held at Brighton train station on Thursday, 14 November.
Dave Smith, Engagement Manager for South East England said:
“We want to break down barriers to train travel for blind and partially sighted people. Come along to our coffee and chat events in Eastbourne and Brighton, learn about the work that we and GOVIA Thameslink Railways are doing to help do this and give us your thoughts and feedback. “
Eastbourne station: morning session
- Date and time: 7 November 2024, 11am-12pm
- Venue: Passenger Lounge, Eastbourne Station, Terminus Road, Eastbourne, BN21 3QJ
- This event is free to attend
- Booking required: Are you bringing a guide or companion? If so, they will need to book a separate place under their name. This is to help us manage numbers for the size of the venue.
- Booking closes 5pm. Tuesday, 8 October
Book your place
Eastbourne station: afternoon session
- Date and time: 7 November 2024, 2-3pm
- Venue: Passenger Lounge, Eastbourne Station, Terminus Road, Eastbourne, BN21 3QJ
- This event is free to attend
- Booking required: Are you bringing a guide or companion? If so, they will need to book a separate place under their name. This is to help us manage numbers for the size of the venue.
- Booking closes 5pm. Tuesday, 8 October
Book your place
Brighton train station: morning session
- Venue: Brighton train station, Queens Road, Brighton BN1 3XP
- Date and time: 14 November 2024, 11am – 12pm
Brighton train station: afternoon session
- Venue: Brighton train station, Queens Road, Brighton BN1 3XP
- Date and time: 14 November 2024, 2- 3pm
London – London Sight Loss Councils
London Sight Loss Councils’ will hold two events in the capital, at London Blackfriars station and Sutton train station. More details coming soon.
Nicki Guy, Senior Engagement Manager for South England, said:
“We are really excited to work with London Blackfriars and Sutton station as part of the ‘Your Station, Your Community’ project. Accessible travel provides a lifeline to many blind and partially sighted people and is essential for our independence.
“We can’t wait to invite other BPS Londoners to our coffee and chat events. We really hope to remove some of the barriers that people with sight loss face, and your feedback will be instrumental to this.”
London Blackfriars: more details coming soon
- Venue: Blackfriars station. Queen Victoria Street, London EC4V 4DY
Sutton station: more details coming soon
- Venue: Sutton station, Railway Bridge, High Street, Sutton SM1 1JA
Photography and video
During registration, you will be asked to confirm you are happy to be included in any photographs, videos or images from the event. These will be used promotional purposes, raising the profile of our work and for sharing information and good practice. Please note, if you do not wish to be included, you may still feature in the background.
Join our mailing list
When you register, you will be asked whether you would like to join our mailing list.
By consenting to receive our emails you agree to your data being retained and used to send you information of interest to you. We will not sell or rent your information to third parties. We may share your information with third parties such as MailChimp or SurveyMonkey in order to send you communications or to canvass your opinion. You can opt out of these communications at any time by emailing info@sightlosscouncils.org.uk