Following an intense vetting and selection process in 2019 by community individuals and organisations, 21 schemes were selected to go forward for the first year of delivery and the array of funded projects include community hub creation, heritage ventures, science & technology ventures, arts, gardening, festivals, urban revival, music maps, rambles and all sorts in between.

The investments are released to the schemes based on ‘Third Party Led Project’ contracts and will create ventures across our networks that will strengthen community and social regeneration and involve the railways in local communities.

West Midlands Railway launched the Customer and Communities Improvement Fund to support projects across the region to connect communities, deliver social regeneration and create tangible benefits at stations to support local people.

“There is a an important ‘people’ bonding element to these projects. People work together, meet, have a laugh and conversation. So whilst the delivery of the works can be hard work, challenging and frustrating, good does prosper!”

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Community Project Manager

The Customer & Communities
Improvement Fund

Serves local communities

Delivered by local people

Has a clear Community focus

Completed in one year

Addresses areas of social need 

Creates economic and social regeneration impact

To qualify, projects must not be for commercial gain, costs must be in proportion with the social and regeneration outcomes expected and projects must have a clear community focus with passenger considerations as well as being physically based close to our stations so that the stations will function as ‘community hubs’.  

Your Community, Your Fund
2020-21

...and 000’s of local people will benefit from these community schemes

The Customer and Communities Improvement Fund (CCIF) is a fund to support visionary schemes that bring lasting benefit to the community, encourage the use of rail and create social and economic regeneration.