The CRPs worked together to showcase the amazing work being delivered in each CRPs area, brought the CRPs closer together through joint literature and highlighted so fantastic events for awards delegates to take part in while the region.
Haltwhistle Visit
Tyne Valley CRP directors welcomed members of the CRN board to Haltwhistle for a tour of the re-furbished buildings and for coffee in the Water Tower café. There were some really useful conversations around re-purposing out of use railway buildings. They were also glad to welcome colleagues from CRN and Marston Vale CRP on the Fri morning.
Passengers and Pioneers Album Launch
Bishop Line CRP hosted the launch of the album ‘Passengers and Pioneers’ at the Common Room in Newcastle. The album is the culmination of work by singer songwriter Sam Slatcher as part of the Storylines project. It was fantastic to welcome around 70 people across the 2 shows to celebrate the beautiful music and poetry created throughout the project in such a wonderful space. Thanks to everyone who came and enjoyed the event and thanks to Northern and CrossCountry for their funding to help make this event happen.
Weardale Special Train
Following a fantastic night at the Community Rail awards, the next morning Friday 14th March, a special Weardale Railway service departed from Bishop Auckland West to Stanhope, marking a successful collaboration between Bishop Line and Weardale Railway. General Manager Claire Gibbons welcomed everyone on board and gave a brief overview of the Railway highlighting some of its incredible history and links to the Stockton & Darlington Railway. The journey, supported by dedicated community rail volunteers and staff, showcased the shared commitment to promoting local rail travel and connecting communities along the route. Passengers enjoyed the scenic ride through Weardale, with many praising the welcoming atmosphere and beautiful views along the way. Weardale Railway is delighted to work alongside Bishop Line CRP to create more opportunities like this – celebrating our region’s heritage and encouraging community engagement.
Exhibition of CRP work across the region
The three CRPs worked collaboratively to deliver a fantastic exhibition in the drinks reception space on the awards evening showcasing the breadth of community rail projects and initiatives delivered across the region. We hope you had time to see the exhibition while you were networking, if you missed it the boards will be featured at future CRP events.
North East CRPs collaborative leaflet to promote train travel across the region
In preparation for the many visitors arriving in the region in 2025 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the modern railway the three community rail partnerships collaborated to produce a handy leaflet showing the key attractions on each line and most importantly how to travel to them by train. The leaflet was launched at the Community Rail Awards in early March with a special celebratory version to mark the 20th anniversary of the awards.
A copy of the leaflet can be downloaded here.
