Middlesbrough Station Staff Raise £1,200 From Forgotten Passenger Items

Staff at Middlesbrough railway station have raised more than £1,200 for good causes by giving unclaimed lost property a second life.

TransPennine Express colleagues at the North East station have been collecting forgotten items left behind by passengers, ranging from clothing and phones to cuddly toys, tents and bicycles.

Rather than allowing the items to go to waste, unclaimed property has been donated to YMCA, which sells the goods through nearby charity shops.

Electronic items are handled separately, with devices refurbished and recycled by furbd. The organisation supports people across the Tees Valley who are digitally isolated and do not have access to computers or mobile phones. Items such as tablets, laptops and headphones are among those that can be put back into use.

Lost property is held securely at the station for three months while efforts are made to reunite belongings with their owners. Anything left unclaimed after that period can then be donated.

Following the success of the scheme at Middlesbrough over the past three months, TransPennine Express now plans to expand the initiative to Scarborough and Malton. The move is also expected to help reduce waste at those stations.

Steve Gilder, Environmental Delivery Lead at TPE, said:

“We’ve had all sorts of items left on our services and while we always try to reunite items with their owners, it’s fantastic that unclaimed items can benefit great causes and cut down on waste. We’d like to remind our customer to check you have all your belongings with you before leaving the train.”

Image: TransPennine Express