A West Midlands Railway employee has been received a wellbeing champion away for her work supporting mental health in the workplace.
Customer experience manager Samantha Passmore received the award after setting up a dedicated mental health safeguarding hub at Wolverhampton train station. The rent-free hub, run by Rethink Mental Illness in partnership with West Midlands Railway, has supported around 600 people since opening in May, offering talking therapy, crisis support and community-led events.
The award was presented at the Railway Benefit Fund (RBF) Heart of Gold Awards, sponsored by Health Shield Friendly Society.
Health Shield, which helped judge the Wellbeing Champion category for the third consecutive year, said Passmore’s work demonstrated the impact employees can have on local wellbeing.
Isabella Walker, head of HR at Health Shield, said the judging panel was impressed by Passmore’s initiative in identifying a gap in local mental health provision and “making it happen”.
Health Shield’s links with the rail industry date back to its founding in 1877, when it was set up to support railway workers. Today, the friendly society provides employee health benefits, including health cash plans and screening services, to more than 500,000 people across the UK.
The awards were presented at a ceremony hosted by Railpen in London on 26 November by pop impresario Pete Waterman.
