A collaborative community art project celebrating Shildon’s heritage as the world’s first railway town has been unveiled at Shildon station. Led by Greenfield Arts, the project has captured more than 110 voices from across the community and these voices have shaped the design and creation of a new artistic gateway for Shildon Station.

Vibrant artwork has been installed on the platform transforming signage, waiting shelters and station furniture for Bishop Line passengers, visitors and the community to enjoy. Creative Director at Greenfield Arts has worked alongside designers Sally Pilkington and Nic Golightly to bring about the transformation which celebrates Shildon’s rich heritage past, present and future.

Robert Whitehouse, Chair of the Bishop Line Community Rail Partnership commented, “Shildon in Motion has been a truly collaborative project and that’s why we were so keen to be involved. From the first meeting it was clear how the residents of Shildon could help make their station a celebration of Shildon’s heritage. This project also shows the collaboration of many different artists to create a stunning outcome, researchers, writers, graphic designers, singers and visual artists. We hope the artwork will bring a sense of positivity and happiness to everyone using the station.

Kerry Peters, Regional Director at Northern said: “We’re always delighted to work on community projects and this artwork will provide a warm welcome to residents and visitors to Shildon. The hard work and creativity that has gone into this project is something for everyone in the community to embrace, enjoy and be proud of and has transformed the station.”

The artwork displayed at Shildon station, which is managed by the train operator, has created an artistic gateway to the town and celebrates the area as a place of significance and possibility for those that arrive, visit and pass through the area.

“Greenfield Arts were delighted to work with partners and the community to uncover stories and hear from a range of voices that have informed the new artwork and allowed us all to shout about Shildon as a place to be and of possibility with a rich past.” said Katy Milne, Creative Director.

The project was supported by Northern Heartlands which is one of 16 Great Place Schemes in England, funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England and the Bishop Line Community Rail Partnership including Locomotion, Shildon Station Adoption Group (New Shildon Residents Association), Friends of the National Railway Museum (North East Branch), Northern and Shildon Town Council, and alongside Stockton and Darlington Railway.

Across 2 days around 200 students from years 10 & 12 learned the benefits of travelling by train to gain independence and visit destinations along the Bishop Line such as Locomotion at Shildon. They also heard hard hitting messages about rail trespass and how to stay safe on the railway.

Felicity Machnicki, Officer for the Bishop Line Community Rail Partnership commented, “We believe that over the past year, young people haven’t had the opportunities to travel that they usually would, so there are many of teenagers and young adults who don’t know how to travel independently by train. More importantly, new data reveals a shocking 138% increase in trespass incidents along the East Coast route after the public emerged from national lockdown and with the summer holidays fast approaching we are aiming to tackle this issue now.”

She added “Together with the learning and engagement team at Locomotion, we have been introducing students at UTC South Durham to the benefits of rail travel in terms of social benefits and for future training and employment opportunities. We also launched the exciting Backtrack competition which encourages young people to create a song, storyboard, short film, animation or script to help increase the awareness of the dangers of trespassing on the railways to other young people and their families. More information about Backtrack can be found at www.backtrackcompetition.co.uk. Entries close on the 30th September 2021.

Catherine Purvis-Mawson, Vice Principal at UTC South Durham said “Ensuring that our students are not only learning about the importance of rail safety but are also developing their experiences and independence to become life ready is what we offer at the UTC. We are really pleased to have the partnership with Bishop Rail and Locomotion and look forward to working with them more in the future.”