A London Midland employee will travel the entire length of the company’s electrified rail network by train this Saturday to raise money for charity.

Peter Chapman, a retail assistant at Coseley Station, will set off from Birmingham New Street at 06:01am and return there at 22:33pm, having travelled 530 miles and made 16 connections. His journey will take him to Liverpool, London and across the electrified suburban network of the West Midlands.

Peter is a volunteer level crossing keeper on the Wensleydale Railway, a heritage line running in North Yorkshire. He is undertaking the 16-hour jaunt to raise money for the new level crossing gates at Scruton, which sits on the Wensleydale Railway network. He said of the daunting task: “I am really looking forward to my day under the wires; it will be quite tiring but absolutely worth it.

“Not only is it a wonderful fundraising opportunity, but it also allows me to explore parts of the London Midland network that I may otherwise never see. I thought doing some railway-based fundraising would be a great way to raise money for this project.”

Peter hopes to make a large contribution towards the £2,500 cost of the new level crossing gates. For every £2 that Peter raises through sponsorship, London Midland will give £1 through its scheme ‘London Midland Giving’.

Richard Baker, London Midland’s internal communications and employee engagement manager, explained: “London Midland Giving is our corporate donation matching scheme, which is based online. It enables London Midland to support causes that are important to its employees; such is the case with Peter. It is a quick and easy process and also gives colleagues the chance to promote their fundraising through social media.”

You can keep up to date with Peter’s whereabouts throughout the day, as he will be tweeting his progress at @lminaday.