Rail manager hopes to use honour to ‘inspire others’

“An award is not for putting on the shelf … we can use it in a way that will inspire others as well,” explains Manny Singh Kang.

The community safety manager at Network Rail hopes that being recognised in the King’s New Year Honours for services to rail safety and charity will bring more eyes to the issues he promotes.

Through his work, the 52 year-old from Wolverhampton travels across the West Midlands, talking to children about railway safety.

As well as that, he estimates that over the years he has raised more than £400,000 for various charities – but these days mainly focuses on Dementia UK, for whom he is an ambassador.

He said getting the confirmation by post that he would receive the Medal of the Order of the British Empire (BEM) was “a little bit weird”.

“We’re not here in the business trying to win or be awarded,” he told the BBC.

“I’m deeply attached to my faith, being a Sikh, and I used that in every aspect of what I do – whether that’s keeping people safe or doing charity work.”

He has been at Network Rail for 25 years, and said he had combined his work to keep people safe with charity work – by trying to promote a better way of life, encouraging other people to give back.

“Once we start to use the good qualities within us, we start to value ourselves more,” he said.

“I want to try and inspire children to see themselves as complete, full of energy, and able to achieve anything… being able to achieve that is super important, whether on the railway or anywhere else.

“I do motivation type stuff as well, it’s really rewarding because you’re working with young people, mainly primary schools, but I do see people all the way up to university, children with special educational needs.”

He said he recognised that lots of kids got bored and caused mischief, and wants to inspire them to do more.

“There’s nothing more valuable than human life, we cannot replace that.”

“We are the most precious thing we will ever own.”

Mr Kang has completed various charity challenges in the past – including a 48-hour walk without sleep around Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Molineux stadium.

In April, he will walk to Greenwich Park to reach the start of, and then race, the London Marathon.

He will start the walk from Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Molineux Stadium, covering 156 miles without sleep, in aid of Dementia UK.

“That charity has become a big part of my life,” he said.