From
Minster fmNot totally sure that 1st April, and in the morning, was the best day for this one. Not sure about the picture of
LNER» staff holding massive bunches of sunflowers either.
LNER introduce sunflower lanyards for passengers with hidden disabilities
Passengers who travel with York-based train operator London North Eastern Railway (LNER) can now use Sunflower Lanyards to show staff they may need additional assistance at stations or during their journey.
The bright green, sunflower print lanyard is becoming the established symbol of hidden disabilities in the UK▸ . The lanyard has been designed to discreetly let staff know that customers have a condition such as autism, dementia or a visual impairment, without the customer having to locate the staff member.
LNER is the first train company to introduce the scheme, following the successful introduction of the lanyards at several major UK airports and supermarkets. The Sunflower Lanyard scheme has been endorsed by hidden disability charities.
LNER is taking the scheme one step further by creating Sunflower Ambassadors along the 936-mile route extending between London, Yorkshire, North East England and Scotland. The volunteers from various parts of the LNER business will be trained on how best to help customers with hidden disabilities.
I remember from some considerable time ago that
FGW▸ (now
GWR▸ ) has a scheme under which customers could get official card they could show to crew, indicating the need for a bit of extra help ... any updates on that?