The Music Train is a much-loved community initiative, originally founded and facilitated by Liz Gray, a volunteer with Milestones Trust. Since its beginnings at Avon Valley Railway, the project has grown significantly, welcoming individuals with diverse support needs, and fostering inclusion through music. In the 2024/25 financial year alone, the Music Train hosted 152 events, attracting 7,737 attendees. And to date, more than 700 events have taken place across Bristol, Bath, South Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and beyond.

The Music Train is made possible through fundraised income but over the past few years, we’ve found that it has become much harder to win grant funding for the initiative, due to Milestones’ size, which could have placed the future of the Music Train at risk.  We know that the Music Train is a fantastic source of pleasure and community engagement for the individuals who enjoy attending, and we want the Music Train to have a bright, safe and thriving future.

We have worked closely with Liz to be able to find another charity to adopt Music Train – and now we have found a charity that that shares our aims, our values, and our ambitions. This charity is Paul’s Place, and we are delighted to announce that have now adopted the Music Train.

Paul’s Place is a charity based in Yate, Bristol that provides social activities that connect people, reduce isolation, improve health and wellbeing, and give people the opportunity to develop new skills, enjoy new experiences, and live life to the full.

We’re confident that that Paul’s Place will ensure the Music Train continues to thrive, meaning all the people we support will still be able to enjoy the same accessible, live music events, held at the same venues, with the same welcoming spirit. Aside from some minor branding changes, the experience will remain unchanged.

Hilary Crowhurst, Milestones Trust CEO said: “We are so grateful to Liz for her outstanding service to the local community and to the Music Train as a volunteer – in fact, for everything she has done. And we’re also grateful to the Executive team and Trustees of Paul’s Place for adopting Music Train as their own, and ensuring its success long into the future.”

Liz Gray said: “I am very excited that the Music Train is to be adopted by Paul’s Place. This will ensure that The Music Train will continue to enrich the lives of the people who Milestones Trust support and the wider community and possibly spread out to even more communities.”

Lynda Williams, Paul’s Place CEO said: “We are honoured to be adopting The Music Train and look forward to working closely with Liz to ensure this much-loved and essential service not only continues but grows. It is an outstanding project that aligns perfectly with Paul’s Place’s mission to enhance the lives of disabled adults.”