Travelling the Railways for charity

Hello, and welcome to my fundraising page! My name is Sam and I am a, relatively, young rail enthusiast who is autistic, ADHD, and suffers from several mental health illnesses.

For the entirety of my life, I have adored the railways! Something about them has always appealed to me, whether that be the trains themselves, the adventures they take you on or my interest in how they work behind the scenes.

The railways are a brilliant way of discovering some amazing places and they provide endless great adventures. I have already built my own website all about the railways (https://everythingtrains.co.uk), where I upload photos of trains and railway related places/things and write blogs about trips and special experiences I have been lucky enough to have completed.

My journey through life has been a bit of a rollercoaster of challenges. My time in school was incredibly traumatic and left me completely burnt out after my first year at secondary school. At that point in my life, I wasn’t really enjoying anything anymore and life became a real uphill struggle. However, the railways were what kept me going and gave me a reason to keep fighting.

As I was finding life so difficult I wanted to set myself a goal. So, in 2020 I started a crowdfunding campaign where I set myself the challenge to travel the whole of the diverse British railway network. I successfully raised funds for a 7-day All Line Rover ticket as well as raising £340 for charity. Shortly after I started the campaign, the Coronavirus pandemic hit the UK and it put all my plans on hold.

Throughout the pandemic, the people who work in the rail industry, known as the Railway Family, literally kept me alive by providing me with human connection in a way that felt safe and manageable. I honestly don’t think I would still be here if it wasn’t for the truly brilliant people who work for and with the railways.

Since 2020 I have been slowly ticking off railway lines in Britain. However, life post-pandemic hasn’t been easy, with me continuing to struggle with my mental health and trying to work through a traumatic life event. So, at times actually travelling on trains hasn’t been accessible for me, but the railways have always been there in one form; my love for the railways is still unbroken.

The original challenge I set to travel every railway line in Britain is still something I am aiming to achieve, but it might just take me a bit longer than I anticipated. But as they say ‘slow and steady wins the race’ (or something like that!).

In life, I need an aim and reason to do things, so I am taking this challenge as an opportunity to raise vital funds for a couple of small charities. To date (May 2024) I have raised over £1,000 for charity and would love to, with your help, be able to continue to raise funds.

From May 2024, I am going to be splitting 100% of funds raised equally between Centred HorsePlay and the Railway Mission.

Centred HorsePlay (https://centredhorseplay.org.uk/) is a very small Gloucestershire-based charity that provides equine therapy to young people and adults. I am personally a user of Centred HorsePlay’s unique therapy and they have impacted my life in so many positive ways. Being able to be completely in the moment and relaxed whilst playing with the horses is a feeling I haven’t found anywhere else and brings some real enjoyment to my life. The charity is there for people where the traditional talking therapies aren’t proving successful and employs a very different approach. I have seen firsthand the difference they make and it is a place that is very close to my heart.

To recognise and support the Railway Family, I have chosen to raise funds for the Railway Mission (https://railwaymission.org). This charity provides care to the Railway Family when experiencing trauma and supports them in tough times. I have seen myself a small fraction of the great service they provide to the Railway Family and I know the difference they can make to people in the Railway Family during challenging times.

As my mental health improves and I learn positive ways to cope with life (maybe with a little bit of help from horses) I am looking forward to travelling the entirety of Britain’s railway network. I will be continually updating my website, both ticking off the train lines I have travelled and writing blogs along the way.

Here is the link to the map showing my progress: https://everythingtrains.co.uk/travelling-the-railways/map & the link to my blog: https://www.everythingtrains.co.uk/et-blog/

Thank you for reading my story.

With my best wishes,

Sam