New Promotional Materials For Kent Community Rail Partnership
A lot of things have changed since Kent Community Rail Partnership was launched in 2003.
Over the years we have changed host organisation, added new lines and new communities, and moved into a more digitally enabled age.
A new partnership logo was adopted in 2019 followed by our successful bid for the new Kent Downs Line. Our communities have helped us to co-develop new logos. We have adopted them online, on new noticeboards and annual reports but our displays and materials for events have not kept pace with these changes.
We wanted our physical branding to be consistent with our online presence, making a clear statement of who we are and reflecting that, with our additional line, we are now working with a wider group of communities.
We put a proposal forward to Community Rail Network linked to the Community Rail Development Strategy for support from the Department for Transport’s Community Rail Development Fund, to refresh the promotional materials we use to support our in person events and pop-up activities and create new materials to promote sustainable travel and inclusive volunteering.
Providing a Voice for the Community
The design of our new logos and Swale Rail tourism guide came directly from past project work with our local communities. Our new face-to-face branding would be consistent with our online persona and include all the lines and communities we serve.
Promoting Sustainable and Healthy Travel
A PlusBus flyer would raise awareness of how straightforward it can be to combine rail and bus travel to make everyday journeys or explore a wider area.
Bringing communities together, supporting diversity and inclusion
A new “Get Involved” flyer would promote inclusive volunteering opportunities at Kent CRP.
Supporting Social and Economic Development
A local firm, Absolute Creative Print were appointed to complete the necessary design work and produce the new materials, supporting the local economy. Publishing the guide to tourist attractions and places to visit along our Swale Rail Line and distributing it to Tourist Information Centres and other outlets would promote tourism in the communities served by the line.
Once our bid was approved, we reached out again to our communities for their input on the images to be included on our new banner displays and worked with our publishers to update the tourism guide with qr codes and What 3 Words locations for the featured attractions.
The bulk of the PlusBus brochures have been snapped up by Medway Council for distribution to their libraries and Tourist Information Centres, bringing information on the service to new audiences. Linda Brinklow, Chair of our Swale Rail Line has promoted the Swale Rail tourism guide on the airwaves of Sheppey FM and copies will be available from the Tourist Information Centre in their office.
We would like to express our gratitude to Community Rail Network for their support in bringing our vision to reality through the Community Rail Development Fund.
We now have a face-to-face identity that is consistent with our online presence, making a clear statement of who we are and reflecting the diversity of communities we work with along all three of our lines. We are very much looking forward to sharing these at the Faversham Festival of Transport in May and other pop-ups through the coming year.
If you know of outlets who would be happy to share these materials. please get in touch.
Testimonials
“I value the new publicity items to attract attention to our lines and supplement other local initiatives. They support local events and attractions and encourage visits by rail. Visitors are alerted to opportunities to use the train. It is extremely helpful to have well produced items to use at events to showcase our area.” – Jonathan Fryer, Deputy Chair Swale Rail Line.
“Fantastic to see these materials and know we have good foundation to spread the community rail message when engaging with the public.
I am especially enthused that we included the “PlusBus ticket”, it is such an under promoted tool to encourage modal shift tool and promote bus/train connectivity to/from our stations” – James Willis, Chair Medway Valley Line.
“At my first pop-up event as we came out of lockdown someone said to me ‘When I look at your stand, I cannot tell who you are’ and to be fair, he had a point. The new promotional materials give us a clear and consistent identity.” – Gary Outram, Project Officer Kent CRP.
“Thank you for sharing the flyer with us and your ongoing promotion of PlusBus.” – The Traveline Team
“They look great, and give an overview of the PlusBus ticket option. If you can get a supply of leaflets [a few hundred] we can get them distributed to libraries, and the Visitor Information Centre in Rochester.” – Rob Carmen, Senior Transport Operations Officer, Medway Council
