Help needed and a big hello
 

Dear all,

I am a teacher in Wiltshire. I have a number of students who are passionate about rail. One young man is very sad at the moment and does not have any other interest other than trains. I wondered if anyone could point me in the direction of somewhere near by that would allow him to volunteer during the weekend and allow him to engage and socialise with like minded people. He is a minor and is on the spectrum, however he is a good guy and loves trains. He is also very intelligent.

I watched a documentary on a childrens railway - http://visitbudapest.travel/activiti...drens-railway/

It was brilliant to see so many young people given such an amazing life experience and endorsing the passion for rail.

Does anyone know of anything like this in this country and or if there was anyone out there with this as a possibility?

Any advice or help would be hugely appreciated. This site is a world of information that I have no clue where to start.

Regards,

Scrumpy817

Hi Scrumpy, there is only one heritage railway in Wiltshire, the Swindon and Cricklade here http://www.swindon-cricklade-railway.org/ . You don't say where you are but to the west in Somerset is the East Somerset railway here: http://www.eastsomersetrailway.com/ . Those are the nearest I'm afraid.

Tony.

A very warm welcome to the forum, dear Scrumpy.

That's a fine thing you're doing there. Respect to you for your kindness and for caring.

Hello scrumpy817 and welcome to the Forum. Yes, the railway at Cricklade would seem an excellent choice if that is accessible for this young man. All our heritage railways rely on volunteers and there is virtually unlimited scope for him to use his skills indulging his passion for railways. I do hope he finds a fulfilling role and add my thanks to you for guiding this young man.

Thank you
 

To all you who have replied.

Thanks for your kind words and advice.

I will pass on the information to parents.

Is there anyone who has direct contact with Cricklade?

Parents have explained that they found it hard to get him in as a volunteer because he is a minor - insurance reasons???

Thanks again for all the replies - I really appreciate the advice and votes of confidence, although to be fair this is my job - not just as a teacher but as a fellow human being :D

There are often restrictions for minors because of the need for a nominated responsible adult to assume full responsibility for them when on site.

Some organisations don't have the manpower to do this, or just don't want the hassle.:mad:

Yes I suspect it's something to do with child protection issues but hope these can be overcome and not work against this young man's best interests.