Advocating for accessible train stations with Nathaniel Yates

Meet the Mancunian-11.5-Nathaniel Yates transcript

Intro

[00:00:00] Hello and welcome to Season 11 of the Meet the Mancunian podcast: social impact stories from Manchester. I'm your host, Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe, and I'm so glad you're listening to my podcast today. This season, I'm proud to collaborate once again with the Spirit of Manchester Awards to highlight some of this year's incredible nominees.

[00:00:23] These are personal stories of care, courage and commitment told in the voices of the people working quietly and passionately behind the scenes in our communities. Every Tuesday, I'll bring you thoughtful conversations that explore what drives these change makers, the impact they've made and the lessons they've learned along the way. I hope you find their stories as moving and as meaningful as I did.

[00:00:49] You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or my website www.meetthemancunian.co.uk. Let's discover the heart of Manchester, one story at a time.

Meet Nathaniel Yates: Rail Safety Advocate

[00:01:02] Passionate about rail safety? In the fourth episode of Season 11, we hear from Nathaniel Yates, train station access campaigner, GMR Rail Accessibility Campaign and winner of the Inspiring Campaign.

[00:01:17] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: In Nathaniel's own words.

[00:01:19] Nathaniel Yates: First of all, you have to be enthusiastic, dedicated to it. And you've got to remember that things take time. Good things take time. Really lobby your local MP. If it's an issue you're passionate about, see it through.

[00:01:35] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Thank you so much, Nathaniel for joining me today.

[00:01:38] Nathaniel Yates: Thanks for having me on the podcast. It's a real pleasure and a real honour to be on here.

Nathan's Journey Begins

[00:01:43] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Looking forward to hearing more about your story, but perhaps start with telling us about what inspired your first connection to the Manchester community? And was there a particular moment that set you on this path to thinking about accessibility in train travel?

[00:01:59] Nathaniel Yates: I fell down the stairs in 2013 while running to get the train at Reddish North Train station and I noticed nothing was done. And in 2018, I wrote to my local MP. And he said out of the 96 train stations, less than half were accessible, and my local station, Reddish North was like eighth on the list.

[00:02:23] So then I went to other stations to look across the rail network. And I discovered the lens of the problem. So, I was at college at the time in 2018. And in 2019, I thought I'd start a petition off.

[00:02:41] And I talked in my health and social care class about this to see what people were thinking and my really good friends that I'm still friends with now. They said that they thought it was a really good idea. I said I'd give them a shout out Kiran, Emma, Emily and Jody.

[00:03:00] And so that began college, loved what I was doing. Then I finished college and here's a good standout moment.

Campaign Milestones and Challenges

[00:03:12] Nathaniel Yates: In 2021, I was invited to speak on a panel, and it was like a panel that Andy Burnham founded, the Greater Manchester Mayor. And it was a disabled people's panel. And I asked him, how could you make my campaign better?

[00:03:29] And he said, I'll do a travel journey with you. So I woke up at six o'clock in the morning. I don't really do that for many people, but for the Greater Manchester Mayor, I made an exception. We met him at Reddish North train station and we did a walk around the network. So we went through Reddish North to Levenshulme, and I showed him how inaccessible the train stations were, the stairs.

[00:03:57] I made a good point and the video, it went viral because he posted it out. And basically that was the start of my campaign getting a bit of traction. And my relationship with TFGM and I made little videos online at certain train stations. Levenshulme was one. Woodley was one. Woodsmoor was another. Reddish North was one. About how inaccessible the train stations were to make the general public think.

[00:04:32] If you're a wheelchair user, parent with a buggy, someone who had a walking impairment, you couldn't go across the stairs because you'd have great difficulty. There'd be an accident. So I was trying to highlight the issues. And then I work with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) on the issue now which they've been great with me.

[00:04:52] So they are currently looking at three stations. They're currently looking at Flowery Fields, Newton for Hyde and Bredbury in the next tranche of Access for All it's called, which is a government scheme to get the funding to make these three stations accessible. That's next on the list, and after that is Reddish North which is really cool.

Impact and Recognition

[00:05:16] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: First of all, great to hear that your passion started in college from personally experiencing how inaccessible some of the stations are. And then great to also hear about your journey with GMR Rail Accessibility Campaign began, and how you were able to get Andy Burnham as the mayor to travel with you and do that really shining a light on the problem. And that was a pivotal moment, a bit of a moment that you were on a disability panel and you got a chance to showcase your campaign.

[00:05:50] So before we talk some more about the journey, what does being nominated for the Spirit of Manchester Awards in the inspiring Campaign category mean to you and the work you do.

[00:06:01] Nathaniel Yates: Oh, it's a great honour to be nominated for the Spirit of Manchester Awards. And it just vindicates the work that I've been doing really in terms of access.

[00:06:11] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Thank you. And yes, it's such an important issue because, it's all about making it inclusive and accessible to everybody.

Overcoming Obstacles

[00:06:20] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: I'm sure there's been many tough moments on your journey. Can you share some of these tough moments and how did you get over them?

[00:06:28] Nathaniel Yates: Really when you're having a down day, which sometimes happens to me where something's going wrong. And I then think how much I've achieved and keep going. Because that's the only way you're going to get these stations to be accessible.

[00:06:42] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: That's a good technique. Definitely thinking about the success or the achievements you have made.

[00:06:49] Are there other things that you've had to deal with during this journey, especially as an individual campaigner

[00:06:56] Nathaniel Yates: You've had to deal with getting my name out there really, because sometimes it's difficult. You keep plugging away, you keep going, you keep trying to make sure that things are done. And it's not easy because you need to influence the influencers, really, the people that count.

[00:07:12] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Can you share something about the impact of your work? You've talked a little bit about three stations, but maybe if you could talk now about how many stations of those 96 have been made accessible.

[00:07:24] Nathaniel Yates: Irlam train station was made accessible which was really cool. And I got to cut the ribbon with the Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham. The same with Daisy Hill as well. I got to cut the ribbon. That was a great event.

[00:07:37] And recognition. I've got Dame Sarah Storey the most successful paralympian in the country working with me. So I'd just like to make a shout out to her. My local MP Navendu Mishra, he actually supports my campaign, which is quite cool.

[00:07:54] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: What would you say is the impact of what your work so far has achieved?

[00:07:58] Nathaniel Yates: It's just getting that public awareness, really getting people to think about it. Transport should be a level playing field for everybody.

[00:08:06] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Do you want to share a bit more about that?

[00:08:09] Nathaniel Yates: Sometimes because my local station is Reddish and I know it's not being done yet. That's getting done next year. But I get the occasional person recognising who I am and saying, thank you for the fighting that you're doing. Thank you for your campaigning and your tireless work, and this will make such a difference.

[00:08:28] I had somebody on Facebook saying that I was her hero, which is a great comment for making things accessible. And when these stations are announced to be accessible when they get the money, that's a great triumph for me. Obviously, seeing the stations like Daisy Hill and Irlam actually get the changes is amazing.

[00:08:49] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Nothing like seeing the impact of your work either on other people or seeing it in real life. So kudos to you for all the good work you're doing.

[00:08:59] Are there any myths about your work that you'd like to clear up?

[00:09:04] Nathaniel Yates: Really, I mainly work on the trains at the moment. Not transport because I have actually been called a transport campaigner, which I can do work across different modes of transport. But at the minute it's mainly trains because I've met with the Transport Minister Alexander Heidi. I met with her at the launch of the Bee Network, which was a standout moment. And she put out a post on Twitter saying thank you to Nathaniel. And his work around transport as a transport campaigner, which I am, but I'm a train station access campaigner, first of all.

[00:09:42] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: That's really important. You're right, there's so many modes of public transport. But it's great that you have your niche that you're focusing on and, that people should be aware of that.

Advice for Aspiring Campaigners

[00:09:53] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: When you think about a go-to piece of advice for listeners keen to support their community, how should they get started?

[00:10:00] Nathaniel Yates: First of all, you have to be enthusiastic, dedicated to it. And you've got to remember that things take time. Good things take time. Really lobby your local MP. If it's an issue you're passionate about, see it through. Look who are the actual influencers in that space, meaning other people that are doing similar work or have links to organisations that are doing similar work. And just really get in with them and try and lobby hard.

[00:10:32] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Great tips. I like that very much about both enthusiasm but also reaching the influencers, reaching your MPs and using all methods to advocate for your cause. Great to know that you're doing that and appreciate your sharing it with listeners.

[00:10:49] Is there anything I haven't asked you about coming up that you might to share with listeners?

[00:10:55] Nathaniel Yates: I got another great triumph as well. I met with the top man in trains which was Lord Peter Hendy, the rail minister a couple of weeks ago. So that was great that he actually acknowledged and had a meeting with me, because it's very hard to get hold of ministers. He was really enthusiastic about what I had to say. He recognised the work and the importance of accessibility across the network, not just across GM, nationally as well.

[00:11:24] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Thank you for sharing that.

Signature Questions

[00:11:25] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: I'm going to now move us to the signature questions I ask all my guests.

[00:11:30] If Manchester's community spirit could be bottled up, what would you say is its secret ingredient?

[00:11:38] Nathaniel Yates: I would say probably Scotch Bonnet because we're tough, scotch bonnet sauce - spicy, hot sauce. Because I think, again, we're lovely, but when times are hard, we actually fight back and we've got a kick to us.

[00:11:52] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: I love that.

[00:11:53] If you could build a Manchester Community Hall of Fame, who's the first person that you'd induct and what would their plaque say?

[00:12:02] Nathaniel Yates: If I was going to pick somebody in recent times, it probably will be the Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, because we haven't had one yet. And it would say man of the people, because of the work he's done, he comes out and actually meets people and is enthusiastic about helping people across Greater Manchester.

[00:12:23] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: That's lovely way to describe him, a man of the people. He is very popular on the podcast with very many guests choosing him as somebody they'd like to meet.

[00:12:33] What's a Made in Manchester moment you won't forget something that could have only happened here.

[00:12:38] Nathaniel Yates: I think that I'm a big Manchester United fan and this wasn't actually Made in Manchester. But I suppose the squad was, and the team were. In 1999, the Champions League final that Manchester United played into win the Treble, which was all three trophies. We were one nil down to the 90th minute and we won the game two one, and we never gave up.

[00:13:02] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: That sounds like a real moment. Like you said, it never giving up and keeping going in hard times. It does feel like a very Mancunian trait.

[00:13:12] Looking back, what's the most valuable lesson that your work or your life has taught you?

[00:13:18] Nathaniel Yates: Never give up, really. And I learned that from an early age because I'm on the Manchester United Disabled Supporters Association as well known as MUDSA. And we had some unbelievable people on that committee. And that was quite cool.

[00:13:32] They had some great people on that. And they had Chas Banks, MBE. Unfortunately, he's passed away now, but he was amazing at being secretary. And he got 26 disabled supporters to go to Barcelona in 1999 and enjoy the game.

[00:13:51] And then Phil Downs MBE who founded us again, he was a wheelchair user. And he only had the use of his neck and his head, I think. But he did an amazing job with MUDSA.

[00:14:05] The current secretary, Rick Clement, who has been amazing and basically a shout out to the rest of the committee. They're inspiring me to do sort of these things that I'm doing now and look beyond the disability.

[00:14:18] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Are you personally a part of the disabled community?

[00:14:23] Nathaniel Yates: I've got cerebral palsy. I'm passionate about it because from when I was younger, I've seen a lot of people in my position, people that are severely more disabled than me. Really some of them beat the odds. You don't expect a lot from them.

[00:14:41] Society hasn't expected a lot from them, and they've succeeded in every way. Some people, and you look at it and you think I can achieve great things too. But I'm doing this for other people really that can't access train stations that need that mode of transport. That's so important.

[00:14:59] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Absolutely.

[00:15:01] It's great to hear that, you haven't let any physical or health challenges hold you back but using that to shine a light for other people and to make all the Greater Manchester stations more accessible.

[00:15:16] Nathaniel Yates: I'd just like to give a big shout out to all my supporters. I know I might not have mentioned you, like I've got a lot of organisations that are backing me, like the Together Trust Steliana and Lucy from Together Trust. They've been amazing with me and all the team there. I had a partnership with Scope Stockport disability. They've helped me along the way. Seashell Trust.

[00:15:41] I've had my supporters and you're only as strong as your supporters and obviously the friends at college and my other friends that support me through groups that I go to as well.

[00:15:50] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Absolutely right because the community is only strong when they're supporting each other, and great to have the shout out to these charities as well.

[00:16:00] Nathaniel Yates: I've come a long way and there's still a lot more to do. Like for example, I I would like a sensory room to be installed at Stockport train station. And that is going to be hopefully one of my latest projects which it will be neurodiverse people with autism that might need that or that have got anxiety. We really need to make our stations accessible for everybody.

[00:16:25] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: Great idea, quiet space for neurodiverse people to take a moment from a bustling station, which is full of noise and people. It sounds like a great one. And I actually use Stockport station very regularly.

[00:16:40] What's the best way for people to connect with you or to learn more about your work? Is there a website or social media that they can follow you along?

[00:16:50] Nathaniel Yates: You can follow me on X Twitter and it's says Nathaniel on Twitter.

[00:16:56] Deepa Thomas-Sutcliffe: And I do look forward to your continued success with making train travel much more accessible.

[00:17:04] Thank much Nathaniel.

Outro

[00:17:06] Thank you for listening to the Meet the Mancunian podcast. I hope today's episode gave you a deeper appreciation of the powerful work happening right here in Manchester. It's been a real honour for me to feature the Spirit of Manchester Awards nominees and share their stories with you.

[00:17:23] If something you heard today resonated with you, please share the episode with a friend or leave a review. It really helps other listeners find the podcast.

[00:17:33] I'd love to hear from you. Visit www.meetthemancunian or connect with me on social media @MeettheMancunian on Instagram, Facebook and Blue Sky. And @MeettheMancunianPodcast on YouTube.

[00:17:49] Until next time, keep championing kindness, connection, and community. Together, we can make our world just a little bit brighter.

[00:17:59] Thank you.