28 May 2025 • 6 min read
Olympian Fatima Whitbread MBE, Thurrock MP Jen Craft, Councillor Qaisar Abbas and Councillor Aaron Green, both representing West Thurrock and South Stifford ward, joined c2c colleagues and customers at a celebratory event marking 30 years of rail operations at Chafford Hundred station.
To mark the anniversary, Ms Whitbread and c2c’s Interim Director of HR and Communications, Abu Siddeeq, unveiled the original station plaque, now in pride of place at the front of the station building, and surprised customers with birthday cupcakes, made by local baker, Occasions Cake Studio.
The commemorative plaque, which had been removed during renovation works, was restored and reinstalled to honour the special anniversary and is now permanently displayed at the front of the station.
The c2c team was delighted when philanthropist Ms Whitbread accepted the invitation to join Chafford Hundred’s birthday event, as she opened the station in 1995.
Ms Whitbread, who spent her early life in children’s homes after being abandoned as a baby before going on to break the Javelin World Record, has a deep childhood connection with Thurrock and was just last week awarded the Freedom of the Borough.
Fatima Whitbread MBE said at Chafford Hundred’s birthday event:
“I’ve had an amazing time coming back here today; it’s like being in a time warp! There’s an incredible difference between today and 30 years ago; back then it was a very sparsely developed area so to see that the station and local area have grown so much, achieving that vision of building a community is really special.
“The station is pivotal to the community so I’m truly proud to be back here today with the c2c team and feel really privileged to have unveiled the original plaque for all to see.”
Ms Whitbread shared her passion and stories from her time growing up in the borough with stakeholders and customers in attendance, as well as anecdotes from her incredible sporting career. She also offered an insight into her campaign to support children and young people, ‘Fatima’s UK Campaign’ which partners with organisations to promote collaboration and better outcomes for care-experienced children and young people.
Jen Craft MP, Member of Parliament for Thurrock, said:
“It was a pleasure to join c2c’s birthday celebrations at Chafford Hundred station. For 30 years the station has been a valued transport hub locally and a key part of the c2c network, connecting our area to the wider Essex region.
“As a frequent user of the c2c line, it was really good to mark this occasion and the important role of the station and its staff in our community,” she added.
Abu Siddeeq, Interim Director of HR and Communications at c2c, said:
“For a long time, this was my family’s local station, so it means a lot to me both personally and professionally that this occasion has been marked – it will always be part of local history. Thank you to our colleagues who work so hard to keep this station going for our customers, we look forward to the next three decades of serving our community in Thurrock.”
-ENDS-
Notes for Editors
- Chafford Hundred station was first opened to the public on the 26 May 1995 by Fatima Whitbread M.B.E and local schoolgirl Sarah Wiffen.
- Chafford Hundred station is the youngest station on the c2c network and took eight months to complete.
- It opened to serve the housing estate and Lakeside Shopping Centre.
- Now 30 years old the station is an important stop on the famous ‘c2c loop’ for commuters heading into London and contributes significantly to the local economy with its connection to the shops and restaurants at Lakeside.
About c2c
- c2c is the award-winning train operator running services between Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness, serving 26 stations in East London and South Essex.
- Owned by Trenitalia, c2c is one of the UK’s most punctual and popular train operators and nearly 35.8 million journeys are made on its services every year.
- Italian-based Trenitalia is one of Europe’s leading rail operators and the passenger rail arm of FS Italiane Group. For more information email mediaenquiries@c2crail.net
About Fatima’s UK Campaign
For more information on ‘Fatima’s UK Campaign’ go to: https://www.fatimascampaign.com/
Images
Image 1 Fatima Whitebread MBE with Abu Siddeeq, c2c’s Interim Director for HR and Communications
Image 2 c2c team with Fatima Whitbread MBE and community partners outside Chafford Hundred station. Front row l-r Fatima Whitbread MBE and Councillor Qaisar Abbas, second row l-r Abu Siddeeq, c2c’s Interim Director for HR and Communications and Jen Craft MP for Thurrock, third row l-r Councillor Aaron Green and Iain Palmer c2c’s Head of Security and Revenue Protection, back row l-r Alice Shimali, c2c’s Head of Communications, Stuart Brown c2c’s Safety, Sustainability & Compliance Director and Joe Hendry, c2c’s Head of Stations.
Image 3 Cupcakes made for the event by local business Occasions Cake Studio.
Image 4 Chafford Hundred Plaque
Video: Chafford Hundred station’s 30th birthday celebration