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Monday 30 Nov 2020

Network Rail donates production fee from York TV filming to help vulnerable young people

Region & Route:

Eastern

| Eastern: North & East

Network Rail has chosen for its location fee from the filming of the popular drama series Gentleman Jack to be donated to Railway Children, a charity which supports vulnerable young people across the UK.

The cast of Gentleman Jack, which airs on BBC One, have been busy filming the second series of the show and have been using York railway station as one of the locations. The team needed a place to store vans and production equipment during filming and approached Network Rail about renting space in one of the organisation's car parks, which is nearby.

The rental fee will be donated to one of Network Rail's charity partners, Railway Children, which supports vulnerable young people across the UK who have been found at risk on the rail network.

Railway stations are a magnet to children who are running away from, or unknowingly towards, danger. Some are victims of child sexual exploitation, trafficking or abuse, and use trains to escape, run away or meet new people. Railway Children’s highly skilled project workers support these children and their families to tackle the issues that led them into danger and help to set them on the path to a brighter future.

George Drum, Infrastructure Maintenance Delivery Manager for Network Rail’s North and East Route, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has been a very challenging year, particularly for those young people who are vulnerable to exploitation.

“We know that charities have been badly hit during the pandemic and, in the run up to Christmas, we wanted to do something which would enable Railway Children’s dedicated workers to help those who need it most.”

Mary McLaughlin, Corporate Partnerships Manager for Railway Children, said: “We are so touched that Network Rail chose to turn this payment into a donation to help support vulnerable children across the UK. At a time when fundraising activity has been hit hard, thoughtful ideas like this really do make all the difference and go a long way to ensuring that our vital work can continue throughout the pandemic and beyond."

ENDS