Three Devon schoolboys among stars of the future with GWR train announcements

Great Western Railway Train Manager competition even attracts entry from Down Under

Bing bong! Great Western Railway is pleased to announce a host of #EnterTraining entries for its latest competition – including one all the way from Australia.

Eight-year-old Lucas Ditchfield, from Geelong, near Melbourne, was among those to enter the Train Manager announcement contest, perfectly detailing a journey from Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington.

Three Devon schoolboys also submitted entries. Ewan Kaczanow, 11, from North Tawton, announced a journey to Bristol Temple Meads; Maximilian Thomas, 14, from Exeter, a journey to Barnstaple; and six-year-old Edward Durbin, also from Exeter, a journey to Paddington.

A shortlist will now be drawn up by a panel of judges including BBC South West radio presenter David Sheppard, the voice behind some of GWR’s station safety messages including ‘Mind the gap’ when boarding and leaving a train.

Three overall winners will then be chosen to receive a special #GWREnterTrainment pack including a set of GWR Top Trumps, a jigsaw and adventure pack.

David said: 

“This was such a great idea to help home-schooling parents keep their children entertained and I’m only too pleased to help judge the competition. There’s a high calibre of entries so it’s going to be a tough task whittling them down.”

GWR is encouraging customers to travel safely this summer. People are reminded to:

• wear a face covering
• travel at quieter times where possible
• wash your hands
• buy tickets online, on a smart card or by using the GWR app

GWR’s Head of Communications Dan Panes said:

“We have been working hard to help make sure customers feel safe when travelling on the railway this summer, including significantly enhanced cleaning and sanitisation of our trains.  

“From this weekend we are also running even more train services. Please do, however, remember to wear a face covering, check your journey before travelling and avoid peak times where that is possible.

“It is also important to remember that not everyone is able to wear a face covering for health or other reasons, and those reasons aren’t always visible, so please be considerate to others travelling.”

For more information on GWR’s timetable please visit: https://www.gwr.com/plan-journey/train-times

Notes to editors
Great Western Railway (GWR) provides high speed, commuter, regional and branch line train services. We help over 100 million passengers reach their destinations every year - across South Wales, the West Country, the Cotswolds, and large parts of Southern England.

We’re currently seeing the biggest investment in the network since Brunel so we can offer more trains, more seats, and shorter, more frequent journeys and continue the network’s heritage of helping connect more businesses to new and prosperous markets. Through a series of initiatives we aim to be a good neighbour to the communities we serve and are committed to making a positive social impact in those regions. Learn how we're Building a Greater West at GWR.com. GWR is a FirstGroup company.