TPE drivers donate £5000 to Lincolnshire hospice

TransPennine Express (TPE) train drivers from the Cleethorpes depot have supported severely ill patients in the local community by raising funds for a local hospice.

The drivers have donated their earnings from a driving programme to St Andrew’s Hospice, with these earnings being matched by TPE, meaning that the hospice will receive a total donation of £5054.

The driver’s earnings come from the ‘EcoDrive’ programme which encourages drivers to drive more efficiently and save fuel, as well as reducing the environmental impact of the trains that they drive. The programme not only helps reduce carbon emissions but help saves fuel with some of those savings returned to the drivers.

Rather than hold onto the extra proceeds, the drivers at the Cleethorpes depot have decided to donate some of those funds to St Andrew’s Hospice, which is a charity that provides care to those who have life-limiting illnesses.

TPE drivers at the depot first started supporting St Andrew’s Hospice back in 2013 and they have now donated in excess of £10,000 in the six years they have been donating their earnings via the ‘EcoDrive’ programme.

Dean Lancaster, Driver Manager for TransPennine Express at Cleethorpes station, said: “We are proud to be donating this money to a charity that provides a fabulous service which is important to the whole local community. Some of our drivers have seen first-hand the brilliant work that St Andrew’s Hospice do and without donations like ours, we know that the hospice wouldn’t be able to provide the brilliant support that patients and families require across Lincolnshire.”

Alison Lark, Charity Fundraising & Events Coordinator from St Andrew’s Hospice said: “We are overwhelmed by the generosity of the local community and donations such as these from TransPenine Express, are the reason that we can continue to provide the vital care that we do throughout the Adult and Children’s Hospice’s.”