On Friday 1st July Kent CRP and Diversity House organised a trip to Rochester to support a group of adults who speak English as a Second Language. The group chosen were those that attended the English classes on a Friday and the IT classes during the week. The age ranged from 4 months old Mia to a lady who had just celebrated her 70th Birthday. The group also spoke a range of languages including Bulgarian and Lithuanian.
The project involved training the group using the National Rail App to identify the various ticket prices depending on the time of day they travelled, the times of the train, which platform they depart from, which carriages are designed for accessible travel needs and the cost savings possible through using one of the vast selection of rail cards. This all took place at Diversity House during the morning.
Southeastern then gave a demonstration on using the ticket machines, the booking office and information help point at Sittingbourne Station. The groups used the information screens to identify the next train to Rochester.
On arriving in Rochester, the group had the opportunity to practice their English and order a meal at a local restaurant before visiting the historic castle and cathedral in Rochester (which is only 20 minutes from Sittingbourne by train). The group were then tasked with using the app or travel information screens to identify the next train home to Sittingbourne.
Thank you to Southeastern for funding the travel and Diversity House for their support in helping us to understand some of the barriers our communities may experience when travelling by rail.
