Published 13 Oct 2023
Lumo has announced its partnership with Premiership Rugby team Newcastle Falcons for the 2023-24 season, joining forces and uniting two key industries in the North East, sport and rail travel. The partnership will see Lumo as a proud sponsor in the stadium over the course of the whole season and feature in the Falcons’ pre and post-match video review and across its official social channels. Lumo is from Newcastle and proud of its North East heritage. This new partnership with Newcastle Falcons establishes a promising relationship between two local businesses. As it develops Lumo’s services to the capital will also provide a greener link to London for Falcons fans in the future. The new partnership celebrates the connection between two like-minded, local businesses, brought together by sustainability efforts and dedication to the North East. Sustainability The Newcastle Falcons are already working towards a cleaner and greener stadium experience, actively reducing waste through their recycling programs cutting down on single-use plastics. As well as implementing solutions to green the game by using energy efficient technologies and renewable energy sources, from LED floodlighting to future planning for solar panels. Likewise, the Newcastle Falcons are passionate about the local community. Introduced in the 2022-23 season, its ‘True North Mantra’, is a vision created by the players which underpins and feeds into the ethos of the whole club. The ‘True North Mantra’ is dedicated to the preservation of professional rugby in the North of England, and it is committed to finding and developing local talent through its established and successful academy for coaches and players. Martijn Gilbert, Managing Director at Lumo said: ‘The Falcons have strong ties to the Newcastle community, and we’re privileged to be partnering with an organisation that represents like-minded values. This partnership not only strengthens our commitment to the local community but also underscores the importance of sustainability, innovation, and community engagement in our shared vision for a brighter future in the North East’. Rebecca Thompson, senior commercial manager at Newcastle Falcons, said: "It’s fantastic to welcome Lumo to the Falcons' team as our latest sponsor. "As a proud North East company committed to making a positive impact in our region we are very much aligned, and we look forward to showcasing them at our stadium in our upcoming games." Lumo also extended its support to Newcastle Falcons’ official charity, Newcastle Rugby Foundation. Its backing allowed the charity programme participants, volunteers, and staff to travel for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Premiership Rugby Parliamentary Community Awards at the House of Commons in the summer. Head of Foundation Melanie Magee said: “Without the fantastic support of community-minded organisations like Lumo we wouldn’t be able to make such a big difference to our community, so we would like to say a huge thank you.” The announcement follows Lumo’s work with the Falcons community foundation to provide travel to London. In the future, Lumo and Newcastle Falcons plan to develop the partnership so both the team and fans can travel easily to London games.
As a 100% electric train fleet, Lumo offers eco-friendly travel between two of the UK’s capital cities London and Edinburgh, aiming to be innovative and environmentally conscious, providing a sustainable and low impact travel alternative to airlines. Lumo is therefore proud to partner with the Falcons, an organisation who are also committed to making the ‘game greener’.
Community Support
In addition to sustainability, Lumo is committed to boosting the economies of communities along its route from Edinburgh to London. It understands and values the importance of giving back to the local area, especially in the North East where its head office is based. Lumo is proud to have built a number of local partnerships including Edinburgh Science Festival, Beamish Museum, Northern Pride and their charity partner, People’s Kitchen.