Diversity House, Try a Train trip to Canterbury, 6th December
On Friday 6th December a group of adults from Diversity House, mainly those who spoke English as a Second Language, were invited to join us for a “Try A Train” experience and to take part in a trip to Canterbury, a short trip from Sittingbourne station.
Members of the group were encouraged to use the visual displays to find information about our journey and to ask Southeastern staff for details of the time our train was due and which platform our train would leave from. They relished the opportunity to practice the phrases they had learned in their classroom in a real world environment. We demonstrated the information help points which can be used when station staff are unavailable, highlighted the information available on platform displays and made our way to the platform. After boarding the train we used the onboard displays and announcements to check the progress of our journey.
At Canterbury we led the group along the historic City Wall with views across the Dane John gardens to Fenwicks for a break at the in-store cafe. This gave the group another chance to practice speaking English, with each participant ordering their own drink.
A window shopping trip followed, exploring the town’s Christmas markets and the Cathedral precinct. The group enjoyed taking selfies and soaking up the festive atmosphere. All too soon it was time to head back, this time taking the path through the Dane John gardens to return to the station.
The return trip gave a chance to see how well the morning’s learning had gone, with members of the group encouraged to use the displays to work out the right platform and departure time for our trip, and then to ask Southeastern staff for confirmation.
Everyone agreed that rail was a great way to explore and visit new places and felt that they had built their confidence to make their own trips.
We would like to thank the Southeastern team for their warm welcome to both stations and providing free travel for Diversity House. Our thanks also go to Linda Brinklow, volunteer Chair of our Swale Rail Line group for her support in the learning sessions and the “Try A Train” trip.
