Bernadette Cendrowska-Salt

Chaplain to the North of Scotland

Railway Mission Chaplains:

Supporting Rail Staff on Life's Journey

Our blogs shine the spotlight on members of our dedicated chaplaincy team and their invaluable work supporting rail staff on life's journey. Discover their motivations, daily responsibilities and the impact of their work across the rail industry.

Bernadette is the Chaplain for the North of Scotland.

Can you tell us a bit about your journey to being a Railway Mission chaplain?

I started this in the summer of 2024, and I am an ordained minister with the COG (Church of God) denomination. Before God called me to ministry, I was a hairdresser!

That’s a fascinating career change! How has it helped you in your role at Railway Mission?

Breaking new ground and conversations with total strangers in a professional manner have helped me greatly in this first year of introducing myself in this role. I would say it has been invaluable.

The challenges of life stay the same, and people need to be heard, understood, comforted and cared for. To be able to meet needs right where someone is at and be called on and trusted is a great honour.

What do you love best about your role?

I love what I do. Working with such a diverse group of people from all walks of life and situations is an honour. I really like that I can work under my own steam and be free to go and visit everyone everywhere. 

It is a huge privilege to be able to see and be part of this community on the railway. We have the very unique privilege of access all over the network and being able to see the diverse roles and challenges of the railway industry as a whole.

I very much like working alongside the police and find this part of the job very rewarding. I am very blessed to be following in the footsteps of some great Railway Mission chaplains who have made my job so much easier. I have loved the journey so far, and introducing myself and building trust with those I meet.

What is your advice to someone hesitating to reach out for support?

My advice to someone who is not sure about reaching out to us is that we are a totally independent and confidential service. We run alongside the railway industry but are independent, so anything that is shared with us will not be shared with managers or anyone else unless anything reported is illegal or would put the safety of employees, colleagues, or members of the public at risk.

We can give a Christian perspective, but we are mostly called to walk alongside someone, to be an independent and confidential listening ear, and signpost to other services when and if needed.

What are you looking forward to in your role?

I am really looking forward to how my role develops. I love new challenges and learning more about how this industry works. I feel this will make me more relevant to the people I meet, from their perspective, especially as this can break down barriers for a person to open up.