Train leasing company Angel Trains will be donating £100,000 to its long-standing charity partner, Railway Children.
Of this sum, over £80,000 has been raised following the sale of retired Class 142 Pacer units to heritage railways, community railways and emergency services. The remaining £20,000 will be donated as part of Angel Trains’ continued sponsorship of the charity’s annual Railway Ball, which has been postponed this year.
Railway Children is an international charity providing protection and opportunity for street children who have been displaced in India, East Africa and the UK. The funding boost will help support the charity’s various outreach programmes, including those taking place in Tanzania, in Africa, where a number of schools have closed during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Announcing the donation, Kevin Tribley, CEO of Angel Trains, said: “Whilst the Pacers have come to the end of their lifecycle on our railways, it’s great to see how they continue to deliver for this fantastic charity.
“We’re delighted to have raised this milestone amount of money and look forward to seeing how it will make a difference to children’s lives across the world at a challenging time.”
Dave Ellis, corporate partnerships manager at Railway Children, responded: “We are incredibly grateful to Angel Trains for their longstanding commitment to our charity and can’t thank them enough for this generous donation.
“This funding boost has come at a pivotal time for the charity and will help provide fundamental support for the children we work with, who are at an increased risk of vulnerability during the Coronavirus outbreak.”
The Class 142 Pacer units were built between 1985 and 1987. With some of the units coming to the end of their operation at the end of last year, a selection were offered to a range of heritage and community railways, with all proceeds being donated to Railway Children.
