Alstom has opened a new Work & Wellbeing Suite at its historic Derby Litchurch Lane Works, strengthening support for employees’ mental, physical, social and financial wellbeing.
The dedicated facility, located inside the 150-year-old train factory, was launched as part of a wider Health and Wellbeing Roadshow held during Alstom’s global Health and Wellbeing Week.
The new suite provides staff with access to quiet spaces, wellbeing resources and specialist support designed to help create a healthier and more inclusive workplace culture.
Facilities include a room for new and expectant mothers, a dark room, a multifaith prayer room, a stretching room, three quiet zones and a larger open area for group exercise and social events.
The concept was first proposed by colleagues Amanda Roe and Aimee Smith before being developed by Derby Wellbeing Champions, a volunteer group led by Annie Curtis and Amanda Roe. The team works alongside their day-to-day roles to promote wellbeing, signpost support and encourage a positive workplace culture.
Andy Butters, Managing Director of Derby Litchurch Lane Works at Alstom, said the new facility reflects the company’s commitment to embedding wellbeing into everyday working life.
“At Alstom, we recognise that our people are our greatest strength, and their wellbeing is fundamental to everything we do,” he said.
“The opening of our Work & Wellbeing Suite in Derby, alongside our wider activity during Wellbeing Week, demonstrates our continued commitment to creating a supportive, inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.”
The suite is built around four wellbeing pillars: mental, physical, social and financial. These focus on encouraging open conversations, promoting healthy lifestyles, supporting inclusion and helping employees build financial confidence.
As part of the launch roadshow, employees were able to access advice, talks and confidential one-to-one support from internal teams and external partners, including Baton of Hope, Health Assured, HSBC, Onebright and Tough to Talk.
Mike McCarthy, Co-Founder of Baton of Hope, said spaces such as the Work & Wellbeing Suite can play an important role in challenging stigma around mental health and suicide prevention.
Alstom said the Derby facility is currently open to its own staff, with plans to extend access to partner organisations based at Litchurch Lane, including Opus Group and Yellow Rail, as well as visitors to the site.
The company is also preparing similar Work & Wellbeing Suites at its Wolverhampton and Plymouth sites, with the ambition for more locations across its 37 UK and Ireland sites to follow.
Derby Litchurch Lane remains one of the world’s largest rolling stock factories and the only UK facility capable of designing, engineering, building and testing trains for both domestic and export markets.
The opening marks another investment in the workforce at a site central to Britain’s rail manufacturing capability and the future home city of Great British Railways.
Photo credit: Ian Castledine
