Train company Greater Anglia has appointed its first manager to work with community rail partnerships across the region.

Paul Haynes has become Community Partnerships Manager. His role will be to help the CRPs become more effective in putting rail right at the heart of the local community.

CRPs are made up of representatives from communities along the rail lines, including parish councils, businesses and other interested organisations who work together to promote local train services. Greater Anglia is also is more than doubling its annual core funding for community rail to £240,000 across five individual partnerships.

Mr Haynes said, “It’s a great time to be joining Greater Anglia, with new trains on the way along with significant investment Greater Anglia is placing into the current Community Rail Partnerships and a focus on developing new ones.”