A new model for onboard giving
CrossCountry’s Manchester-based Retail Service Manager Lee Broadbent has converted the familiar at-seat catering service into a reliable fundraising channel. By adapting the hand-held point-of-sale terminals already used for trolley sales, Broadbent and colleagues have been able to accept cash and card donations during routine passenger service without disrupting normal rail operations.
The technology, developed in collaboration with CrossCountry’s head office in 2020, records each donation as a zero-VAT sale, separating charitable income from retail takings and simplifying the audit trail.
“Being able to support a children’s charity while doing my day job is a privilege,” Broadbent told Railway Prune. “Our passengers respond positively when they understand exactly where their money is going.”
Passenger response and financial outcome
On a typical roster of up to 20 services per week between Manchester, Birmingham and the South West, Broadbent now averages more than £400 in weekly donations. Between late February and mid-April 2025 he personally collected £4,000.
During the same period, other Manchester-based catering staff adopted the system, bringing the overall onboard total to £5,340. CrossCountry supplemented the effort with a £500 corporate contribution.
Personal motivation
Broadbent’s commitment is rooted in personal loss: he lost both his daughter and a close friend during the pandemic. This experience, he says, compelled him to “help those less fortunate however I could”. His transparency over the train’s public-address system—detailing each charity’s mission and exactly how to donate—has been repeatedly praised by passengers.
Marathon effort multiplies impact
First Class Host Liz Bradley added a high-profile element to the campaign by running the TCS London Marathon on 27 April 2025 in memory of family friend Lottie, who died from mitochondrial disease. Donations gathered onboard formed the bulk of her £8,386 marathon sponsorship for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, which also included external pledges.
“Without Lee and the generosity of our passengers, our fundraising would never have reached this level,” Bradley said after completing the race in 4 h 39 m.
Charity reaction
James Lunney, Challenge Events Manager at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, thanked the railway community: “Support from CrossCountry staff and customers ensures we can continue delivering first-class care to our young patients.”
Next steps and how to donate
- CrossCountry intends to roll out the card-based donation system to additional crews on its long-distance network.
- Passengers travelling on Manchester–Birmingham and Birmingham–Bristol diagrams should expect regular charity announcements and can donate using the standard trolley card reader.
- Online contributions to Liz Bradley’s campaign remain open at JustGiving.com/page/lizzie-ganders-1732349074069
