New children’s book to inspire the next generation of train drivers
To help encourage more women and the next generation to consider a role in the railway, we, and our sister company London Northwestern Railway , collaborated with other rail contributors and Butterfly Books to help create a brand-new children’s book called My Mummy is a Train Driver.
West Midlands-born authors Jason and Kerrine Bryan collaborated with the industry to highlight why careers in rail are open to all and how the railway is striving to better represent the communities that they serve.
To launch the book, we invited special guests from Graiseley Primary School to our newly refurbished Wolverhampton station to become mini train drivers for the day, along with rail industry representatives.
All children received mini hi-vis train driver jackets, ‘train driver for the day’ lanyards, and goodie bags filled with fantastic giveaways to remind them of the day.
To help spark the imagination and get the children excited, the launch was held on one of our brand-new Class 196 trains! It was amazing to see the children’s faces light up when they hopped on board.
Soon enough it was time to get things rolling, and the day started with talks from our very own HR Director, Jo McPhail, and a Q&A with Freightliner’s train driver to get the kids involved.
Next up, West Midlands Railway train driver Carol Burns took to the stage… well tannoy, to get the children to start thinking about what they wanted to be when they grew up and draw a picture. It was great to see some future nurses in the mix, along with police officers, ballerinas, and superheroes! But the best one yet, was when three of the children drew train drivers.
The children were then tasked with a very special activity to name the Class 196 train they were sitting on and take the challenge back to school. The name will be revealed in 2023!
But of course, the event would not be complete without a special reading of the book, My Mummy is a Train Driver with (one half of the book’s authors), Jason Bryan who encouraged the children to read along with him.
With the event quickly approaching its final destination, the kids had the opportunity to let off steam when West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway train drivers Carol Burns and Michelle Nicholson, gave the children (and adults) a tour of the driver’s cab, letting the kids sit (quite literally) in the driver’s seat.
Jo MacPhail, HR director, said:
“It was a pleasure for West Midlands Railway to host the launch of My Mummy is a Train Driver at Wolverhampton station. It is important to highlight diversity and promote inclusion in the rail industry, something this book captures perfectly. [...] I hope Kerrine and Jason Bryan’s wonderful series will inspire young people - such as the children from Graiseley Primary School - to go on to become the next generation of drivers.”
Jason Bryan, the book’s co-author, who gave a reading at the event, said:
“Like many sectors, the rail industry can sometimes face misconceptions that some of the jobs are not suited for certain people. [...] In reality the industry has done an awful lot to improve diversity and inclusion through various initiatives and this book aims to inspire young children and anyone who reads it to consider a future career in rail.”
Sharifan Nasa, head teacher of Graiseley Primary School, said:
“It was a huge privilege for our children to be part of this inspiring event. It is so important for young children to not only have a love for reading but to understand that the job of a train driver is something every child can aspire to [...] The children loved every minute of their time on the station – many of them had never sat in a train before and I am sure this event will have a long-term benefit for our young people.”
One of a series of children’s books, My Mummy is a Train Driver is available to buy now.
