The Customer and Communities Improvement Fund (CCIF) is South Western Railway’s programme to support projects that have a community benefit or address an area of social need across our network.Find out more here

CCIF is intended to support small and medium-sized projects which can be completed over the course of the year. Across all previous rounds of funding, we have supported over 100 projects with a value of more than £7million. Across our network, this funding has gone towards important local causes and initiatives, delivering extensive social value and benefit.

All of the students in this team are sponsored by the South Western Railway Customer and Communities Improvement Fund

Meet The Team

Hear Their Brilliant Podcasts

Hello, my name is Ethan. I’m 11 years old and I’m a current student of Carisbrooke College. I’mon the school council and I’ve made a few speeches at the open evenings and now I’m on a radio station. I’m very thankful of my school and couldn’t be happier there. I think it is amazing and my favourite and least subjects are, well my least liked subject is religious education or PSHA which is personal social health and economics. My most liked subjects are computer science and normal science. My hobbies are reading, playing games, I love to go around on my bike and I also like games as improv and I also love to watch a lot of movies. I have a mum and a dad and a younger sister, she is 7 and I have two cousins who I see regularly.

 Hi, I’m Leigh and I’m 11 years old, turning 12 next year in May. I have two dogs, one that is a 12 year old black and white springer spaniel and the other is a 3 year old black and tan cocker spaniel. My favourite hobbies are swimming, bill ringing and running. I am in the young Olympian swimming group with my two friends from primary school. I also like cuddling my dogs on the sofa in my lounge. I used to go to Brighstone Primary School which starts at 8.25am so that meant my mum had to drive me to school every day. My favourite music is Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift. I have been on one holiday out of England which I went on when I was one to Spain.

My name is Kieran. I am 11 years old and I am turning 12 next month. I like reading books like sci-fi books and adventure books. My favourite books are the Jurassic Park books. I like playing games like Roblox. I also like playing board games like chess and checkers. I have a pet cat called Olly who is 19 years old. He is Burmese and has white and grey coloured fur. My old school was Newport C of E Primary. I went to Newport Primary at 8.30am and left the school at 3.10am. The lessons there could be half an hour to three hours long which is different to the school I go to now because all of the lessons are only an hour long. To New School I go to is Carisbrooke College. I don’t like the school more than my old one but I think it’s a very fun school with good teachers. The type of music I like varies on what I want to listen to each day but I quite like bands like Biffy Chiro and Foo Fighters. 

Hi, I’m Devon. I am 12 in January. I have four cats. A Tabby, a Black Cat, a Ginger and a Tortoise show called Waffles, Keira, Merlin and Jonesy. I like doing theatre every Saturday. I’ve done five shows since I’ve joined. We will rock you Aladdin, World of Colour, Little Mermaid and Grease. This Christmas we are doing the musical Elf. I used to have a pet bearded dragon called Eddie. I came to Carisbrooke High School from Carisbrooke CLV Primary. I am going to see my sister this weekend because she moved to British Racing School on the mainland and I can’t wait to see her this year on her birthday. I like K-pop and Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift. My favourite Taylor Swift song is Enchanted and I recently joined at the Song Cafe at school where we are doing Christmas songs and our teacher Miss Peckham makes brownies for us to eat. I’ve really enjoyed high school so far and I can’t wait for the opportunities that are waiting for me. My parents are musicians and they’ve made music but never posted it on Spotify even though they’re really good at making it. 

 My name is Amelia, my birthday is on October 7th, I have three beautiful cats, two girls, Maggie and Mavis and my lovely boy Stimpy. I also have a lizard, a bearded dragon, named Steve. He’s four years old. I adore musicals and I take place in theatre, always reaching out for as many opportunities as possible. I don’t have a favourite type of music, as I see all music as something inspiring. If I like music then I’ll listen to it. Although I usually tend to listen to either rock, calm music, older songs from around 1980 to 2010. Typically I like to listen to songs I can belt out in the car with a sunroof off. I love every type of music and I love exploring people’s opinions on them. I do singing clubs, theatre and I’m in a band as the main vocalist. I love competing in sports and fun activities. I think of myself as a kind, friendly but loud person and making new friends or spending time with people is something I will always enjoy.

Hey my name is Timmy! I am from East Cowes. I like to collect phones, but not as much as i used to, because it is not worth it any more! I like ‘Chuck E cheese’ resturant chain, Its only in America, but I know that I want to go to the 5 legacy anamatronic ones that exist. I also like playing games like fighting, racing and platformer games. I like Dragon Ball Z as well because it is a good Anime to watch and it is good for people who are getting into Anime. I am looking forward to being part of the 4 P’s project because I want to boost confidence in talking to others.

I’m Courtney. I live and Ryde. My hobbies are art, cooking, singing and dancing. On Tuesday I do dance at Starlight Academy in Newport. I like to see my friends on weekends and on holidays. I like to go to the cinema to watch films. I like to eat different foods like fish and chips, burgers and curry. I like being at St George’s school because I like being with my friends and doing different lessons. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Fridays we do options in the afternoon, which I do art, hospitality and performing arts, which is like dance and doing different shows like in the summer. I am really excited to be part of the 4Ps project because it will be a new experience for me to try and learn new things about the world of radio.

Hello my name is George. I live in sandown. I like to talk and spend time with my friends and family. I love to fix things – cabinets, lights and tables. I am looking forward to being a part of the 4P’s project because I am really excited to go on the radio!

Hello my name is Lennon i am 12 years old my hobbies are drawing, playing video games and programming. My favourite movies are the star wars trilogy and my favourite show is young Sheldon i also like making little websites but i never end up publishing them. I have wanted to be on the radio for a while because i used to watch my brother do it and looked really fun. one of my favourite reasons to join is also because of music my favourite music is oasis my favourite song is married with children by oasis. sometimes i make some comics by my self and i like to read them to my self if i like them then i put them in a bag if i don’t like them then i usually put them in a box.

My name is Seb Zanardi, I live in Cowes. I am currently going into my second year at college and I take media, graphics and business for my courses. In my free time I love to play basketball with my friends at the local park as the sport has always been a lifelong passion of mine. However, I also really enjoy exploring hidden places all over the Isle of Wight. I enjoy learning about all the different types of media ranging from tv and film production to radio and news. Through learning about this I have developed a liking to radio and presenting and would love to pursue a career down that path.