In April 2023, Joanne Crompton was sacked as a volunteer from the East Lancashire Railway (ELR) after she complained about having been subjected to sexual discrimination and sexual harassment by the departmental manager that was in charge of her steam driving career. 

She had volunteered on the ELR for over a decade, starting out cleaning steam engines before training for and achieving the post of steam fireman, and was well on her way through training to become a driver. After turning down unwanted sexual advances from the departmental manager during incidents that got progressively worse over several months, the offender then used his influential position to halt her driver training. 

Joanne took her complaints to the ELR’s General Manager in January 2023. During the almost three months that it took for the investigation to take place, Joanne’s harasser was allowed not only to remain in his post but also to continue to be in charge of Joanne’s career on the railway. Because of this, she was denied the chance to take part in the high profile International Women’s Day event on the railway, despite being one of the biggest advocates for women in the heritage rail sector. 

The ELR took almost three months to investigate Joanne’s complaints, upholding her complaint regarding discrimination over driver training but found her sexual harassment complaint ‘inconclusive’. The so-called ‘independent investigation’ was carried out by one of the ELR’s other volunteer managers, and clearly for whatever reason a very poor investigation resulted, because at her subsequent appeal, which took only two weeks to investigate,  her complaint of sexual harassment was upheld.

The management of the ELR has failed to provide Joanne with a safe place to volunteer, failed to investigate properly and failed to separate her harasser from having undue influence over her volunteering career even after her complaint was made - yet they have also failed to apologise, instead choosing to sack Joanne over a breach of their social media policy after she spoke out over her unfair treatment. Mike Kelly, the ELR’s Chairman, and Tracey Parkinson, it’s General Manager, have instead resorted to victim-blaming and continuing the toxic culture that resulted in Joanne being harassed in the first place. 

The East Lancashire Railway needs to change, and in order to do so, there needs to be action taken against those that allowed the discrimination and sexual harassment that Joanne suffered to take place. 

Please sign this petition to have Mike Kelly and Tracey Parkinson to be removed from their positions at the East Lancashire Railway, and help make it safer for all who volunteer and work there.