Last week, we had the pleasure of spending time with the Year 3 class at Holy Trinity C of E Aided First School in Berwick-upon-Tweed. With our work at Berwick station in full swing—building a new ticket office and staff accommodation—it was the perfect chance to connect with the local community and give the children a closer look at what we do.
Joining the fun from Consortia were Contracts Manager Chris Ryder, Assistant Project Manager Joseph Kearney, and Marketing Manager Stephanie Whittick. From LNER, we had Station Delivery Manager Michelle Shields, Station Customer Service Assistant Kevin Haldon, and Travel Consultant, Kirsten Cooper.
Learning About Safety
The morning kicked off with a chat about safety, both on construction sites and around railways. The children were amazing—so enthusiastic and full of great questions. Some eager volunteers helped us demonstrate PPE, with plenty of brilliant guesses about why each item is essential.
Chris then challenged the class with a “spot the hazard” activity using an illustration of a busy construction site. The children didn’t miss a trick, calling out hazards left, right, and centre! We were blown away by how sharp and engaged they were.
Whistle While You Learn
Next, Kevin from LNER took over to talk more about rail safety and with the help of a volunteer, even taught the children how to safely dispatch a train. I wonder if teacher, Mr Rutherford was wondering what he was getting himself into when we handed out 28 whistles to the children for this exercise.
Exploring the Station
After we had shared goody bags and well-deserved Construction Safety Champion certificates, we took a short walk to Berwick station, where Joe gave the children a behind-the-scenes look at our construction site. He explained the progress so far on the new ticket office and staff facilities and shared what’s coming next.
The LNER team added to the excitement by demonstrating how to buy tickets for different destinations. They also quizzed the children on their UK geography, tying in perfectly with what they’d been learning in class.
A Sweet Treat and a Big Competition
To warm everyone up, Gavin Duffy from the station’s Costa treated the children to hot chocolate, which went down a treat—especially with a surprise visit from the Grinch! Meanwhile, we judged the children’s designs for their dream ticket office. The creativity was incredible, with many designs demonstrating the amount of thought the children had put in including details such as accessibility features.
Choosing the winners was no easy task, but we eventually picked three standout entries. Prizes included book tokens for second and third place, and LNER kindly donated a family ticket to any destination on their route for the top prize. Each child also went home with a plush toy train courtesy of LNER.
A Morning to Remember
Teacher Adam Rutherford said:
“Thank you so much for this morning. The children thoroughly enjoyed it, and it was so nice to see them engaged with the activities.”
We had an absolute blast sharing our world of construction and railways with these brilliant young minds. Who knows? We might have even inspired a few future engineers or project managers along the way!
At Consortia, we love getting involved in the communities we work in, and this visit was a reminder of why we do it. We’re already looking forward to the next one!
