Best UK Personal & Social Wellbeing Initiative 2018
Virgin Trains are evicting, for no reason, a non-profit social enterprise that has supported thousands of people over the past six years. Us.
To bolster the rail operator’s multi-billion pound bid to maintain the West Coast Main Line, Virgin Trains invited Creative Wellbeing to use rooms at Carlisle railway station in April 2014. After delivering over 1600 free creative activities to some of the area’s most vulnerable people, Creative Wellbeing is now being booted out just in time for Christmas and just as Virgin Trains embarks on its ersatz mental health campaign, #itsawonderfulline. As they paint the script from It’s A Wonderful Life along the platforms of stations from London to Glasgow, attempting to demonstrate how much they care for people’s wellbeing, they are evicting a popular local mental health service from platform 1 with a bewildering level of animus.
We have tried everything to reverse the decision to no avail and now find ourselves homeless. We are currently unfunded and unable to engage the kind of legal support Virgin Trains enjoys. Our upcoming programme of events promoting positive mental health and creativity during the remaining weeks running up to Christmas and the new year—a time when many feel at their most isolated and in most need of our support—has been scrapped.
If Virgin Trains stands by its published CSR documents and its Christmas campaign, it should reverse its decision and, at the very least, enter into dialogue with Creative Wellbeing instead of sending cold legalese via two separate law firms, one of which gave us a whole 14 days to get out. This unreasonable and, literally, impossible deadline came mere weeks after Virgin proffered a long-promised lease which we were in the process of negotiating.
It’s all very confusing.
The whole story appears on: https://itsawonderfullie.uk
There is an accompanying blog post—a more personal and emotive text—at https://rebeccamellor.co.uk/virgin-trains-evicts-creative-wellbeing/
We hope you can draw attention to our plight and the doublespeak Virgin Trains is profligating. Without support, they will be responsible for closing down Creative Wellbeing, perhaps permanently.
[email protected]
About Creative Wellbeing
Creative Wellbeing is a multi-award-winning non-profit social enterprise working with individuals, communities and businesses to enhance personal and social wellbeing since 2013.
We know that creativity can enhance personal and community wellbeing, help people develop resilience and problem-solving skills, be a vehicle to meet new people, and to think about things differently.
We think everyone should have an opportunity to flourish and prosper—to thrive together.
We deliver nationally and we’re looking forward to promoting creativity and wellbeing everywhere for a further five years, and beyond.
Contact & Legal
Creative Wellbeing at Carlisle Railway Station, Platform 1
[email protected]
Text: 07719 143013
Company no. 08844605
Creative Wellbeing and logo are registered under the Trade Mark Act 1994: UK00003104440
©2012-present. All rights reserved.
Special thanks to Virgin Trains for their ongoing support
