Introduction
Delays and service suspensions may be the gripe of London Underground commuters, but an innovation has taken a sting out of the tail of the daily commute. Created by two Customer Service Assistants, All On The Board are daily messages left on station customer information boards and reposted on the now highly viewed X and Instagram accounts. This could be a poem, an inspirational quote or even a memory of a famous person. Written in beautifully neat writing, these messages have been popping up across the network for over seven years.
The brainchild of originally anonymous N1 and E1, we now know that they are Jeremy Chopra and Ian Redpath. The anonymous two revealed themselves after a rapid success story with fans such as U2, Ricky Gervais, and Michelle Obama, while Katy Perry and Mumford & Sons, the pair have decided to accept their notoriety, publishing a book with some of the poems with excellent illustrations. A book that shows the pair are deeply immersed in everything about London.
The Reason
Behind every great project is a reason. Both Chopra and Redpath have suffered from mental health problems. Redpath was driving a Victoria Line train in January 2008 when a young woman jumped in front of his train at Pimlico, which left him suffering from PTSD and anxiety. An experience that made him afraid of the dark and have constant nightmares. Similarly, Chopra has long suffered from an eating disorder—a stigma amongst men and one that he was keen to highlight. Although issues never go away and can only be managed, the duo felt that the book was a cathartic way of tackling their issues head-on and helping others in a similar situation.
A Beacon of Light
These powerful messages were highly inspirational during the dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a time when many heeded the message of avoiding using public transport to limit the spread of the disease. A city that always seems to cope with its struggles and makes the best of a bad situation. As transport workers continued to get people from A to B despite face masks, hand sanitiser and social distancing, the London Underground may not have been the bustling place it was. Still, it was resilient and embraced the challenges. The board messages during this time helped put a smile on the masked faces that passed through it—showing that it is ok to be not ok and the importance of community and friendship. Boards originally designed to report delays now spread a bit of happiness to those who use the vast network.
