The name of Martin House Children’s Hospice will soon be seen across the UK after a newly-liveried locomotive was unveiled at York Railway Station.

DB Cargo UK’s Class 66 freight locomotive (66190) has been emblazoned with the hospice’s colourful new branding and will promote its valuable palliative care work across all areas of England, Scotland and Wales.

DB Cargo UK and Network Rail recently handed over a cheque for £200,000 to the Boston Spa-based hospice - the culmination of four years of fund-raising by the rail industry.

The money was raised by running special fundraising charter trains in conjunction with the volunteer Branch Line Society, which were started after a Network Rail colleague, Charlotte Bullock, used Martin House’s services to help care for her son Luca who was born with multiple disabilities.

Both Charlotte and Luca have since passed away, but remain the inspiration for the rail industry’s fund-raising efforts.

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Industry and civic dignitaries gathered at Platform 3 at York Rail Station on Friday  for the unveiling of the newly-liveried locomotive before taking a special trip to nearby Drax Power Station, another major fundraiser for Martin House.

DB Cargo UK’s Chief Sales Officer Roger Neary said he was delighted to spread the world about the hospice through such ‘striking new livery.’

Rosie Mellor-Silvester, Head of Regional and Individual Giving Fundraising at Martin House Children’s Hospice, said of the unveiling: “We are absolutely delighted that Martin House Children’s Hospice is receiving the honour of having a locomotive named after us.

“This is a fantastic extension of our ongoing partnership with the Charter Train team, and we’re incredibly grateful for their continued support which enables us to be there for children and young people across our region when they need us most.”

Similarly, Jerry Dickinson, a Senior Incident Controller at Network Rail and whose brainchild the charter trains are, said: “We have worked closely with them and others to deliver a series of fundraising charter trains with our voluntary promoter, the Branch Line Society.”

“Martin House is a charity which we hold very dear to us after they provided invaluable support to our colleague, one of my members of staff and friend, Charlotte Bullock, and her family over a number of years.

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Likewise, Mark Gibbens, Head of Logistics at Drax Group, whose chosen charity is Martin House Children’s Hospice, added: “It was a real privilege to see the unveiling of the locomotive which looks fantastic and an honour for Drax Power Station to be the first stop on its inaugural run.”

Martin House Hospice, founded in 1997, helps children across East, North and West Yorkshire. It costs £9m a year to run.

For details and to donate, go to: https://www.martinhouse.org.uk/