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Members of the Run Birmingham group at Chester Road railway station
Members of the Run Birmingham group at Chester Road railway station

Press release -

Birmingham runners mark Cross City Heroes win

Runners in Erdington braved the rain and pulled on their sports gear to celebrate the Run Birmingham group being recognised as Cross City Heroes.

The Rookery Runners took a special route this morning (Tue 25 June) to end up at Chester Road railway station, where a special plaque of recognition has been installed.

Run Birmingham has been chosen as one of 24 community organisations to be honoured with a plaque at railway stations on the popular Cross City Line between Redditch / Bromsgrove, Birmingham and Lichfield. The plaque is now on permanent display at Chester Road railway station in the ticket office.

Sally Bynoe, Run Activator for the group, said:

"The Rookery Runners are a great group that have come together to start their running journey. These guys have become fast friends and are incredibly supportive of each other throughout the session.

“This is a wonderful example of how our groups develop as these guys meet up outside of scheduled sessions to do their extra run and support each other along the way both virtually and by physically being there. It’s wonderful to see the growth of confidence in themselves, running ability and the friendships that have formed."

Tahir Parvaz, project manager for the Big Run, said:

“Being part of Run Birmingham has been a great opportunity to join local communities together across both Birmingham and Solihull. Supported by Active Communities, we are able to provide communities the chance to get together weekly to build a healthier and happier lifestyle.” 

Fay Easton, head of stakeholder and community for West Midlands Railway, said:

“Run Birmingham were nominated for their charity work and the joy they have brought to local communities through their performances, so it is a pleasure to be able to recognise the group with a plaque at Chester Road station as part of our Cross City Heroes competition.

“The Cross City Line passes through many of the communities where Run Birmingham operate and is a key part of connecting communities across North Worcestershire, Birmingham and South Staffordshire, for work and leisure.”

Nominations for Cross City Heroes winners were put forward by passengers, residents and railway staff as part of a competition to celebrate 40 years of services on the Cross City Line. Examples of various influential local clubs, charities and other community groups were received as part of this process. These nominations were then judged by representatives from West Midlands Railway and West Midlands Rail Executive to form the final list of 24 winners.

For the list of winning Cross City Heroes groups visit https://bit.ly/2WuPPcb

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About West Midlands Trains

For further information on this release, call our press office on 03300 955150 or email press.office@wmtrains.co.uk

West Midlands Trains operates both West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway services.

  • London Northwestern Railway services operate between Liverpool and Birmingham, and on the West Coast mainline to and from London Euston.
  • West Midlands Railway services operate to destinations across the West Midlands via Birmingham New Street.

For more information on these services visit westmidlandsrailway.co.uk or londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk

The West Midlands Trains franchise started on 10 December 2017 and will run until 2025/26.

West Midlands Trains operates 1,300 services a day, manages 150 stations and provides over 70 million passenger journeys a year. Over the course of the franchise, West Midlands Trains will be investing £1 billion into the rail network to deliver new trains, improved routes and station upgrades. This will include 400 new train carriages across the network and space for an extra 85,000 passengers into Birmingham and London at peak times.

The franchise is a joint venture between Abellio (70.1% share) and East Japan Railway Company / Mitsui & Co., Ltd (29.9% share in a 50:50 split). Abellio is the international passenger transport subsidiary of the Dutch national railway company, Nederlandse Spoorwegen. In the UK, Abelllio operates ScotRail and Greater Anglia train services, Merseyrail services in a joint venture with Serco and buses through Abellio London. For more information visit www.abellio.com

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Press Office - Media Use Only

Press Office - Media Use Only

Press contact 03300 955150
Liam Bolland

Liam Bolland

Press contact Media Relations Executive

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West Midlands Trains Ltd. operator of train services calling at over 150 stations across England.

Operating train services between London and North West and in and around the West Midlands region.

West Midlands Trains
134 Edmund Street
B3 2ES Birmingham
United Kingdom