TOGETHER WE ROLL

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: may/june 2025 :: RMTnews 16 RMT members and front-line Avanti West Coast staff Marcia Graver and Marvia Norman had been discussing how to reflect the diversity of the workforce while organising Black History Month events for some time. Marvia decided to email the then managing director about the idea of wrapping a train to promote this inclusive message. This seemingly random and audacious message straight to the top of the company elicited an immediate positive response. That was how the concept for a wrap on one of the new fleet of trains with a design to reflect the diverse race and ethnicity within the company as well as the communities across the West Coast Mainline came about. The theme is Together We Roll and the aim has been to celebrate the people who work on the railway and the diverse communities it serves. Unfortunately, the Covid pandemic put the project on hold as it did across society in general. However, Marvia, a customer service assistant of seven years, and Marcia, a chef who joined British Rail back in 1998, were not to be put off. The pair had worked with RMT regional organiser Kathy Mazur on cultural events, so they were both experienced in discussing diversity issues in the workplace. It had been widely agreed that as trains travel through multiple communities, it effectively made them moving billboards for diversity and inclusion. As a result, passengers, pedestrians, and motorists see the message, reinforcing positive social values. Such public displays of diversity directly support marginalised groups and can help promote unity as it signals that the transportation service values all individuals, regardless of background. “We are a railway family, and we wanted to explore and express that feeling to increase morale and building confidence in the workplace,” says Marvia. So, the idea of a diversity TOGETHER WE ROLL RMT members help create a wrap for new Avanti West Coast train Marvia Norman