Michele Ashton

Chaplain to Greater Anglia Area

Railway Mission Chaplains: Supporting Rail Staff on Life's Journey

Michele is our Railway Mission chaplain for Anglia and London North. She worked in a senior role in the catering industry before finding her true calling working with us. 

She covers a large ‘patch’ from the London stations of Liverpool Street and Aldgate to Cambridge, Kings Lynn, Great Yarmouth, Shoeburyness and Fenchurch Street. 

Michele talks about why she became a Railway Mission chaplain and some of the many stand out moments of her work so far. 

What inspired you to become a Railway Mission chaplain? 

I became a Railway Mission chaplain back in 2016 following a long career working in a senior role in the catering industry. The job included managing up to 120 staff including recruitment, training and management. I loved the role but things changed and I found myself rethinking my future career for the sake of my own health and wellbeing. 

I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do but I fancied a change and several people suggested I look outside the box and said I had transferable skills that could be used elsewhere. I saw the advert for Railway Mission chaplains but initially thought I wouldn’t be eligible because, although my faith is strong, I had never worked in a chaplaincy role before and I don’t have a theological background.  I’d heard of prison chaplains, but I didn’t even know that the railway had chaplains! The advert was still there a few days later. I called the number and have never looked back.  

What skills from your former role have helped you as a chaplain? 

I’ve realised that there are so many transferable skills. I have always been involved with working with people and managing people and dealing with challenging situations and relationships. It’s a different role but the skills are very similar and I find my background has really helped me to relate to people. The biggest difference is that I replaced my heels with more practical Doc Martens and this change of career has been the best thing that has ever happened. 

What role does your faith play in your work? 

I’ve had a strong personal faith from age 10 but my career and life experience mean I can talk to people of all backgrounds, whether they have faith or not. There is sometimes a feeling from people that you might be there to convert them but that isn’t the case. My faith is where I get my strength from to support people and I’m over the moon when someone wants to experience this too, but if that isn’t for them, I support them whether they are in their faith or with no faith. Once people realise that I am here to support them in their need and not convert them, they often won’t stop talking and that’s a good thing! 

I truly believe that God dragged me out of my previous career and put me in the railways for a reason. I feel privileged to be able to care and empathise and walk alongside people in a non-judgemental way. 

What are the biggest challenges in your role? 

It can take many years to build trust and understanding. People can be worried that you will tell managers but that isn’t true. We would only ever tell anyone else if there was a risk to public safety or the person’s welfare.  

It takes time to get to know a large patch and for people to recognise you and feel comfortable talking to you. I visit at different times of the day, week and year but, even then, the nature of shift patterns on the railways means that even after many years I might not have met every person who works on my ‘patch’. I do try my best though. 

How do you encourage people to reach out? 

The railway still tends to be male dominated and it can be particularly hard for men to reach out for support. It can take months and years of visits and asking how people are doing for them to trust you enough to talk.  

Often a coffee sounds manageable and not too threatening. I nurture relationships gradually and am very aware of offering support on their terms. In fact, one person I supported over the phone and never had the opportunity to meet them in person until many years later when they thanked me face to face. That was a real privilege – meeting someone who I had supported when they thought they might never be able to return to working on the railways, back in the job they loved. It’s moments like this that affirm to me that this was my true calling.