A charity that provides vital support to children and young people found at risk on the UK rail network, Railway Children, has welcomed a £5,000 donation from Caledonian Sleeper.

The donation will be used to fund Railway Children’s new Glasgow based project, which brings together the rail industry and British Transport Police to support vulnerable young people in the area who are finding sanctuary on the rail network or risk being exploited when they use it.

In April, we launched launched a limited-edition single cask single malt whisky to celebrate 150 years of Scotland to London sleeper services and committed to donate the profits from the sale of its 70cl bottles to Railway Children. With only 200 in existence, the individually numbered bottles sold out in under a month, raising a total of £5,000 for the charity.

Kathryn Darbandi, Managing Director for Caledonian Sleeper, said: “It’s so important that the vulnerable children and young people using our railway network get the care and support they need. As a proud member of the rail industry, this cause is close to our hearts, and we hope our donation today helps make a difference in Glasgow.

“Glasgow Central Station is one of the main transport hubs we service and so, it felt only right that our donation should go towards funding Railway Children’s vital new project in the city.”

Railway Children supports at risk children and young people who could be using the UK railway network for various reasons, such as running away from home or care, meeting up with someone who might be planning to cause them harm or being exploited in County Lines drug running activity.

Following the success of projects in London, Yorkshire, the West Midlands and the Northwest of England, the new Glasgow project marks Railway Children’s first venture into Scotland.

The charity will provide direct support to vulnerable young people in Glasgow identified through referrals from British Transport Police. They will deliver a range of services based on individual needs, including welfare visits, parental and family support.

Railway Children will also offer training for rail staff in Glasgow to help them protect vulnerable young people, while holding regular meetings with the local Safeguarding Action Group to identify the specific needs and context in Glasgow.

Jack Miller, Group Director of Fundraising & Marketing at Railway Children, commented: “We’re thrilled that Caledonian Sleeper has chosen to raise money for our cause. Our new Glasgow project will allow us to cast our safety net into Scotland and support even more young people. This donation will help get the project up and running.”

In addition to the donation made to Railway Children today, Caledonian Sleeper will also donate one of the 200 limited edition 70cl whisky bottles to the Scottish loneliness and animal charity Give a Dog a Bone, to be auctioned later in the year as part of fundraising efforts.