A Kent mother who had a 10-year career break to look after her daughter with learning disabilities has landed her dream job.

Leigh Santamaria, from the village of Longfield, near Dartford, said she was left with little choice but to leave her career as a legal PA^▸ (Public Address (broadcast loudspeaker announcements) or Passenger Assist (railway staff providing physical assistance to passengers with mobility issues), depending on context) to care for her daughter.  But after a decade out of work, the 53-year-old has qualified as a train driver.

"I loved getting in the driver's cab and learning the routes under the supervision of an instructor, and now I'm heading out on the network for real," she said.

Her current railway routes are from East Grinstead in West Sussex to London and then on to East Croydon.  She has recently also begun to learn the London to Epsom Downs journey.

Ms Santamaria said becoming a train driving had made her dream a reality. "There was a lot to learn as part of my driver training, including the 1,000-page rulebook which I must know off by heart," she said.  "All my hard work had finally paid off."

She was able to pursue a new career through Southern Rail and the Career Returners scheme, which is a coaching and consulting programme targeted at people who have been on an extended career break and looking to get back to work.

Ms Santamaria said her daughter was very vulnerable and would likely live with her for the rest of her life.  "It felt right to pause my career and focus all my energy on her," she said.  "While I was caring for my daughter, I studied accountancy and qualified in 2021, but after months of job applications I still hadn't secured a job."

She then began searching for other careers and applied to be a trainee train driver in 2023 after spotting an advert on social media.  "It sounded perfect for the position I was in, so I applied for the role and the rest is history," she added.