GB Railfreight rebrands locomotive to raise awareness of prostate cancer, in partnership with the League Managers Association and Prostate Cancer UK

Richard Bevan LMA Chief Executive, John Smith CEO of GB Railfreight and Angela Culhane CEO of Prostate Cancer UK

Photos taken by Pip Dunn

GB Railfreight (GBRf) has today unveiled a newly named Class 66 locomotive in honour of its partnership with Prostate Cancer UK, GBRf’s chosen charity, and the League Managers Association (LMA), GBRf’s corporate partner.

Revealed at Victoria Station in London, the locomotive has been named “League Managers Association” and painted in a unique livery featuring Prostate Cancer UK’s iconic logo – the Man of Men – to raise awareness of the most common cancer in men. After the naming ceremony, guests boarded a specially chartered service hauled by the newly named locomotive for a trip around the Kent countryside.

In addition to the unveiling, this September GBRf will be operating a 4-day rail tour in support of Prostate Cancer UK. ‘GBRf 2021’ will be the third 4-day rail tour organised by the company, having raised over a quarter of a million pounds from its previous two marathon charity charter trains.

GB Railfreight announced its partnership with Prostate Cancer UK back in January 2020. As GBRf’s chosen charity partner, all fundraising activities conducted by the company is in support of Prostate Cancer UK’s mission to stop the disease limiting lives.

GBRf has also been working with its corporate partner, the LMA, since 2020. As part of its partnership with GBRf, the LMA offers access to football managers, elite-level leadership and high-performance experts and the most recognisable personalities in sport.

Prostate Cancer UK is also the official charity of the LMA. The important partnership increases awareness of prostate cancer through football and activities conducted by the LMA’s membership from across The Football Association, Premier League, and Football Leagues.

Angela Culhane, Frank Clark, Roy Hodgson, David Pleat, Howard Wilkinson LMA Chairman, Richard Bevan and Tony Pulis

John Smith, CEO, GB Railfreight:

“Our specially painted Class 66 locomotive will be raising vital awareness around the issue of prostate cancer by showcasing the iconic Man of Men logo as it travels across the country on the railway. This has only been made possible by the strong collaboration GBRf has with its two brilliant partners, Prostate Cancer UK and the League Managers Association.”

Angela Culhane, CEO, Prostate Cancer UK:

“We are delighted the iconic Prostate Cancer UK “Man of Men” logo will be displayed proudly on the Class 66 locomotive together with the League Managers Association name plate.

“This is an excellent initiative, which not only raises funds for vital research into better tests and treatments, it will also spark conversations about prostate cancer – a disease affecting one in eight men in the UK, and one in four black men. We are very pleased to be working with two of our fantastic partners on this life saving journey and thank them for their ongoing support.”

LMA, Chief Executive, Richard Bevan said:

“The LMA is privileged to be involved with the unveiling of this newly named Class 66 locomotive in collaboration with our Corporate Partner GB Railfreight and longstanding Charity Partner Prostate Cancer UK. We are excited to be able to raise awareness of our fantastic partnerships with both of these organisations and to continue to develop the partnerships into the upcoming season.”

LMA Chairman Howard Wilkinson said:

“On behalf of the LMA and all the association’s members, I would like to thank GB Railfreight for unveiling this locomotive in honour of its partnership with both the LMA and Prostate Cancer UK. We are extremely proud to be partners with these two fantastic organisations.”

GB Railfreight’s regional investment continues with new Peterborough HQ, officially opened by Rail Minister

John Smith, CEO of GB Railfreight and Chris Heaton-Harris MP, Minister of State for Transport

Rail Minister, Chris Heaton-Harris MP, officially opened the new GB Railfreight (GBRf) Peterborough headquarters today, marking a major long-term investment into the local area by the leading UK rail freight company.

The new £3 million building accommodates GBRf’s traincrew and office staff including its 24-hour control centre, training and operations departments, as well as the asset management team.

GBRf will look to become the industry’s leading training provider for those embarking on a promising career in rail freight. The building plays host to three new purpose-built classrooms and state-of-the-art simulators which will be used to develop future generations of talent from the local area and beyond.

This year alone, 120 people are expected to use the facility and develop skills to qualify for a variety of roles from trainee train drivers to apprenticeships.

Sustainability and wellbeing are central to the new headquarters, with features such as solar panels, electric vehicle charging points and cycle racks as well as a catering hub and new shower facilities for its around the clock staff. This reinforces GBRf’s commitment to sustainability and investing in its workforce.

John Smith, Paul Bristow MP, Chris Heaton-Harris MP, Councillor Wayne Fitzgerald, Leader of the Peterborough City Council

John Smith, CEO of GB Railfreight, said:

“The new Peterborough headquarters is one of GBRf’s single largest investments to date and builds on our ever-growing presence in the local community and commitment to regional development. As we build towards a brighter future, we want to foster the next generation of rail freight talent and our new headquarters will help us achieve this aim.”

Chris Heaton-Harris MP, Rail Minister, said:

“It is a pleasure to open the brand-new GB Railfreight headquarters, which will provide future generations with the essential skills and knowledge for a successful career in rail freight.

“Our rail freight sector has kept our country and economy moving through the pandemic, and we will continue to support the growth of this key industry, particularly as we look to decarbonise transport and deliver net-zero by 2050.”