Bishop Line CRP is currently collaborating with 2 local organisations to make small steps to help tackle the issue of suicide in our area, one of those organisations is Darlington Mind.
The partnership helped Darlington Mind to secure funding from the CommunityRail Network and CrossCountry to create a Rail Themed Mental Health Trail which would be situated in Darlington town centre during Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 with the support of Darlington Borough Council events team.
Darlington Mind engaged with local groups and artists to design and decorate 25 2D wooden cutouts of trains which a relevant to Darlington’s heritage – Locomotion No 1, Derwent, Tornado, Mallard, Prince of Wales, there were 5 of each train. Each of the trains were decorated in a design which related to one of the mental health 5 ways to wellbeing – Connect, Take notice, Learn, Give and Be active.
They then created a mindfulness trail around Darlington town centre during Mental Health Awareness Week in May 2025, based on the S&DR200 theme, featuring the decorated trains.
The decorated trains were located in indoor locations with an explanation board beside each train featuring the project overview and a link to find out more about Mind, and the 5 ways to wellbeing.
The text alongside each train drew together information about the locomotive, the five ways to wellbeing and the artists inspiration to present an appealing and informative trail to promote both better Mental Health and S&DR200.
Now the trail has closed the trains are being weather proofed and they will be relocated to various locations throughout the year, along with their boards. We hope the first location will be Hopetown Darlington, followed by Locomotion, and then along the S&DR walking & cycling trail when it opens, and potentially at stations, so the messaging will live for the whole year and possibly longer.
So look out for them!
