Rail Person of the Year
Name: Juliet Donnachie
Company: Network Rail
Location: Waverley Station, Edinburgh
Reason: "Juliet has over 25 years experience within the rail industry and has been Station Manager at Edinburgh Waverley for just under six years. Juliet's inclusive, warm and good humoured approach, welcoming friendliness, determination and pride in the railway industry is a truly eclectic mix, and it's one which quite rightly brings her tremendous respect and admiration from not only her own company and rail industry colleagues, at all levels, but also station tenants, retailers, local authority members, special interest and heritage groups, local charities and local community based project workers. For several years now she has worked with local charities, including the Children's Hospice Association and with a local community project, The Bike Station, to promote rail-cycle integration. In December 2006 and January of this year, Juliet led her team in producing a commemorative calendar featuring photographs of Waverley Station to celebrate the life of one of her team, Robert "Bob" McIntosh, who eventually lost his long battle with Cancer in July 2006. (His step son, David Edwards, serves as one of Juliet's Duty Station Managers at Waverley). Sales of these calendars in total raised over £1,200 for Cancer Research UK and through this Juliet also considerably raised awareness within the local railway industry community of the fantastic work this charity delivers. Juliet is a fantastic motivator and natural leader. Another one of her particular strengths is in special event preparedness and their safety management. She personally instigates and then oversees all of Waverley's planning, preparation and delivery for the numerous planned (and unplanned!) special events each year which have impact on customers, passengers, train operators, retailers, tenants and station operations here at Waverley. Juliet consistently refers to "Team Waverley", as almost a term of endearment!, but she uses this to illustrate how all station teams at Waverley, regardless of which company they actually work for, all pull together under these circumstances to deliver first class customer service and facilities at Waverley. In addition to all of this, Waverley station is in the throes of a major redevelopment, delivering new platforms, tracks, signalling, concourses, footbridges, staircases, escalators, pedestrian routes, signage and a platform renumbering scheme. With the numerous demanding pressures of all of this it would be understandable for Juliet to be totally engrossed in the station's day to day operations during this phenomenally busy and no doubt stressful time, but she has continued to work tirelessly in all of this and to be pro active in the helping of others. I personally feel very privileged to know Juliet and to be able to nominate her for an award, her commitment, resourcefulness, empathy and consideration over the ten years I have known her have been truly exceptional.
Juliet has already started planning a Christmas raffle to benefit Cancer Research UK during December 2007 and has already secured accommodation/meals/goods from local businesses and hotels for this together with free rail tickets from the train operating companies - she literally never stops! She is a real ambassador for her company, waverley, and the railway industry."
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"Juliet is a champion of co-operation. I work with her to ensure safety at the events held in Edinburgh that impact on the rail network. She attends planning meetings and communicates with staff / other transport providers as requested - ie Festival Fireworks."
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"I had contact with Juliet through some fundraising activity in the station for the charity I work for. I found Juliet to be enthusiastic and extremely helpful. She was really keen for the station to be involved in charitable work and is always happy to help us out if she can."
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"I work as a operations manager with the catering units and have to liase with Juliet over a number of issues both serious and trivial and find her extreemly helpfull and understanding in both cases a example over the last few years would have been incresed security measures for a number of events like g8 or bombing or football or others."
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"Juliet is one of the most positive, helpful and supportive members of railstaff I have ever worked with. Her cheerful manner and her excellent interpersonal skills make it a pleasure to work with her but she can also make a quick assessment of situations and has a sharp enquiring mind. eg the Policing arrangements for Edinburgh Fireworks Display. It is a pleasure to nominate her."
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"Always helpful, friendly and polite. She welcomed me into her team by inviting me to the Christmas party."
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"Friendly, helpful person who deserves an award. She helped me! Thanks.
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"I have known Juliet to be been part of the Rail industry for 25 years and one of her many talents is that she is an ecxellent negotiator and adviser. She is the most honest approachable and dependable person i know who has managed to build strong relationships and partnerships with the train operating companies, Edinburgh Council, and British Transport Police and is respected by all. Juliet has also shown that she can deliver particularly under pressure an example of this was G8, when Juliet managed to pull everyone together eg the train operating companies station tenants and retailers, Lothian and Borders Police, The City of Edinburgh Council and British Transport Police and encouraged us all to think about the phenomenal impact that G8 would have on Railway Operations in Scotland, Stations in general and Waverley in partticular. Whats left to say is Juliet you deserve this award. Thankyou for your hard work and commitment."
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"Go getter,a real person,good listener,good partier,and on,and on. helped a charity with premises to repair bicycles and re allocate them to needy people."
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"Juliet has been extremely helpfull over the past year doing everything she can to ensure that any help I neede was forthcoming from both herself and her station team. Juliet went to great lenths to ensure that that customer service levels for staff and station users was maintained at the highest level during the recent build of the New street car park. She helped both myself and my company whenever needed and was always cheerfull whilst doing so."
Judges comments: a
Prize won :Tinseltown, where the streets are paved with stars...
Date of event: 01/1/07 |
