Stockport rail staff nominated for national awards

Two Stockport residents, who work for rail operator Northern, have been nominated for national awards for their contributions to local rail services.

Darin Astbury (R) and Becky Styles (L), who work for the train operator Northern, have both been nominated for RailStaff Awards – a scheme that recognises people from across the rail industry.

Astbury, a customer services assistant at Brinnington station, has been nominated alongside his colleague Stewart Hall in the ‘Award for Charity’ category in recognition of them setting up a ‘Swap Shop’ at the station which supports people in need of food, clothes, books and other household items.

The scheme has proven incredibly popular, with more than 1,000 members of the local community joining the Facebook group and five volunteers now helping to co-ordinate donations. They have even helped to fully furnish houses for people who have moved into the local area with no possessions. Their actions, which have been featured on BBC’s The One Show and BBC Radio 4’s File on 4, are credited with turning around the fortunes of the station, which now welcomes over 100,000 customers a year and had previously been a hotspot for anti-social behaviour.

Meanwhile, Styles, a regional community and sustainability manager covering the train operator’s services across Greater Manchester, has been nominated in the ‘Sustainability & Net Zero’ category.

She has worked for Northern for more than ten years, having joined the company as a conductor in 2011. In her current role, Becky works to forge positive relations with a range of stakeholders and local community groups and has recently helped to facilitate the delivery of a biodiversity project at Bolton, St Helens Central and Buxton stations – in partnership with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust – to attract and support wildlife at those stations.

Commenting on Becky’s nomination, stakeholder manager Owain Roberts, said:

“Becky is highly respected by colleagues inside and outside the rail industry.

“She is a great ambassador for Northern, regularly going the extra mile to ensure the job gets done – even picking up her old conductor baton out-of-hours to work on services when demand requires. She is a great role model for women in the rail industry and this recognition is thoroughly deserved.”

The pair will find out if they have won their awards at a special ceremony at The NEC in Birmingham on Thursday, 30 November.