Birds on the branch line
Engaging vulnerable groups through the theme of bird conservation
Using the theme of bird conservation, Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership and poet Sally Crabtree engaged vulnerable groups on the Looe Valley Line to give them increased skills and confidence to travel by train.
The project included workshops ranging from music and poetry to making bird feeders and bird boxes. Follow-up train trips on the Looe Valley Line gave an opportunity to improve knowledge and confidence about travelling by train as well as an opportunity to share the outputs from the workshops with other groups and the public.
Feedback from participants included: “This made me feel so calm – it took me away from all that I have been through.”
The concept was to meet groups in a workshop setting where they would take part in creative activities which would enable them to relax and feel comfortable with poet Sally Crabtree and staff from DCRP.
The activities were tailored to each group based on their needs and abilities. These workshops were followed up with a trip on the train.
The train trips gave an opportunity to improve knowledge and confidence about travelling by train as well as an opportunity to share the outputs from the workshops with other groups or the general public.
What happened
The first stage of the project was to find the groups to work with. Working with the local community centres in Liskeard and Looe, groups were targeted based on the biggest impact the project would make to their lives, for example, those unable to drive due to physical disabilities or those with a financial barrier to owning a car.
Examples of groups worked with were:
- WILD project for young parents
- Refugees from Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support (DCRS)
- Cornwall MIND – mental health support
Once groups were engaged the next step was to run the workshops. Each workshop was designed to be enjoyable and enable participants to relax and feel confident in what they were doing.
Some looked at the plight of wild birds and their loss of habitat and created bird feeders and bird boxes. Other groups, such as the refugees, focused more on language and wrote poems on seeded paper which would later be planted and grow into sunflowers.
This session with DCRS was very reflective and allowed the group to share the stories of their, sometimes harrowing, journeys to the UK.
The follow up train trips were designed to be an empowering experience for all. Groups were escorted by staff on a trip on the line and given advice on how to read a timetable, get the best fares and plan a day trip out as well as simply enjoying the journey.
The train trips were also used as a way to share what the groups had produced at the workshop stage.
Pupils from Looe Primary who gave residents from Rivermead care home special gifts they had made on their Christmas trip and the WILD group performed a song they had written.
Results
The work created by the participants and the joy the project instilled in them was our biggest achievement. The work was presented on the train and also in a pop-up exhibition at Liskeard station.
In total 265 took part in the project and Sally was interviewed about the project on both regional and National BBC Radio.
The project was also publicised at a wellbeing event at Hall for Cornwall, Truro.
A podcast and a new Bird Zine were created which will be a lasting legacy.
People who took part in the project felt less lonely, more confident and more able to take the train, as shown by some of the quotes from those who took part.
“She came in distressed yet your Birds on the Branchline session was able to make her laugh and smile.” – Headstart Kernow staff member
“This made me feel so calm– took me away from all that I have been through.” – DCRS participant
