Earlier, she presented the consumer show
Watchdog on BBC1 for five years with Nicky
Campbell, and it was during that time that she
became involved in a four-part series on Alfred
Wainwright, and his famous walks around the
Lake District. That spawned a second series, of
six episodes this time, and then Railway Walks.
“The walks followed Britain’s lost rail empire,”
she said. “The first episode explored a route in
the heart of Derbyshire - the Monsal Trail. (This
runs along the former Midland Railway line for
8.5 miles between Blackwell Mill, in Chee Dale,
and Coombs Road, at Bakewell.)
“We also went to Cornwall where tin and
copper once made the area around Redruth
the richest patch of land in the country.
They inspired great engineering feats and
pioneering tramways, the forebears of the rail
empire. I crossed an entire county, winding
past Cornwall’s crumbling engine houses and
following a railway that has not operated for 140
years.
“The Railway Walks series inspired many
people to head out walking, and every day we
get people heading to my website, The Outdoor
Guide, and downloading the routes. We’re all
passionate about getting people into the great
outdoors, sharing outdoor adventures, getting
some green therapy.”
All too soon, it was time for Julia’s fascinating
reminiscences to end and for the awards to start.Sponsors
This year, the evening was sponsored by five
organisations, without whom the evening would
not have been possible.
Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin
Group, is one of the world’s most respected
design, engineering and project management
consultancies. One of very few firms to
provide clients with comprehensive end-to-end project solutions, including financing &
asset management, consulting & advisory,
digital & artificial intelligence, design &
engineering, procurement, construction &
project management, operations & maintenance
and sustaining capital, Atkins was “delighted to
share an evening with Network Rail, Rail Media
and supply chain teams to celebrate the very
best of 2018’s achievements in the rail industry”.
Colas Rail is fully committed to the continual
maintenance and upgrading of the UK’s rail
network. Thinking, investing and operating at
the forefront of the industry trends ensures
the company has the capabilities to meet the
future demands of its customers. Ian Anderson,
managing director of Colas Rail Urban, said:
“Our leadership in this industry is directly linked
to our attention to our customers’ needs,
executing effective solutions to meet and
exceed expectations and our talented staff’s
dedication to achieving success.”
RSSB helps the industry work together to
deliver a better, safer railway, so celebrating
successful partnerships is something it values
very highly. The next five years are set to be a
transformative time for rail, and RSSB wants to
ensure the supply chain can do business with
rail unhindered, but also safely. This is where
supplier assurance comes in. The organisation’s
work includes managing industry schemes
that provide supplier assurance services,
including RISQS - the Railway Industry Supplier
Qualification Scheme.
Total Rail Solutions is investing in the future.
The on-track plant hire specialist was the subject
of a management buy-out last November and,
under new CEO Paul Bateman, is continuing
to invest heavily in the three areas which it
considers its operational enablers - its plant,
its people and its processes. “The focus for
the next six to 12 months is to be looking at
the business and professionalise things,” Paul
Bateman explained. “That means introducing
new systems to enable us to upscale, with a big
push on recruitment too, but all while trying not
to lose the company ethos that has got us to
where we are today.”30 RAIL PARTNERSHIP AWARDS
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