Three of Richmond’s loveliest ladies had the fun task of helping set up a toy train track for the All Aboard Club. This wonderful initiative lets children with autism and ADHD play in a safe and supportive space, and runs sessions around South London and Surrey - including Kew, where todays good deed took us.

Our job was to help lay out the train tracks to create a railway for the toy trains so travel around. The church hall was a wonderfully big space, so we each started to lay down our track pieces, and with some engine-ious engineering, we connected up everyone’s loops of track, erected bridges and put in points to form one spaghetti-like railway all around the floor.

It was a trip down memory train for me, as I played with Tomy trains with my brothers as a youngster, and Anita certainly enjoyed letting her inner child out as she was choo-choosing where to place tunnels over the railway line and deciphering how to connect two loose ends to make sure the trains wouldn’t end up crashing into each other!

Back on track, Beth had opened the box of trains, and set Percy off on his way, followed by speedy Toby and the Troublesome Trucks, Lady and Percy number 2. Watching the little engines chugging along was very satisfying, and the first of the children had now arrived to play with the railway. A lovely end to this rail tale.