For sanctuary seekers living in Stockton, Monday’s Coronation Bank Holiday was celebrated with a liberating day out to the countryside, with a trip all the way from Stockton to Stanhope, via the Weardale Railway.

Their trip, which took place on the ‘Big Help Out’, was organised by Citizen Songwriters as part of their new Storylines initiative with the Bishop Line Community Rail Partnership to bring artists and local communities together using the train to celebrate the region’s rail heritage.

The group of 10 from Stockton Baptist Church began their journey on the 10.31 Northern service from Thornaby to Bishop Auckland, connecting with the 11.30 Bishop Auckland West to Stanhope on a heritage train run by Weardale Railway.

At Stanhope Station, they jumped on The Story Train, Citizen Songwriters’ new community arts initiative, a first class buffet car that once belonged to LNER’s High Speed Train stock. On The Story Train, the group sang songs and shared stories of their most memorable journeys, from fleeing life-threatening situations to finding friendships in the North East.

For many in the group it was the first time visiting the English countryside. The group consisted of people from Senegal, DRC, Cameron, Niger, Pakistan, Albania and Iran who have all come to live in Stockton, seeking sanctuary from war, political conflict and other dangerous situations.

Not dampened by the drizzling weather, everybody’s spirits were high as the group continued to sing on the station platform, delighting other passengers. They continued to sing on the train back to Bishop Auckland and met with the Bishop of Durham who this week has been raising concerns in the House of Lords about the Government’s Migration Bill and the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers, particularly children and pregnant women.

Katharine Lam, the group lead, said “the day provided a wonderful opportunity for the sanctuary seekers to forget their stressful situation and enjoy the moment, meet new people, practice and learn English, visit a beautiful area, travel on the trains and express themselves creatively which is great for their wellbeing and cultural integration”

For Anxhela, a sanctuary seeker, “this was a new experience for me, I learnt more about the railways, enjoyed the countryside views, a wonderful journey that I wouldn’t have had the chance to do ordinarily”.

The trip was supported by Northern and Weardale Railway.

Try the Train is a new project which is fully funded by Northern Trains.

Working in collaboration with partners across the Northern network Bishop Line CRP are building a programme of sessions to help people feel more confident travelling by train.

The idea is that we will assist and accompany groups on a series of rail journeys, all of which will be supported by journey planning sessions that incorporate other forms of sustainable travel to and from the railway stations.

The aim is to enable increased independence amongst the participants.

Over a series of sessions the participants will become less supported by our Try The Train trainers and enjoy more independence.

We want to help reduce anxiety so each journey undertaken will be accompanied by a tailored information pack with details of routes and timings.

This will involve 4 workshop sessions with your group tailored to their needs but with themes of rail safety, how to use the trains, how to plan a journey and being able to do this independently by the 3rd workshop and journey but with me there as support.  Then each workshop will be followed by a journey on the trains. To find out more or register your group please follow the link to the official Try The Train website.

trythetrain.org.uk 

As the North East steams ahead to the bicentenary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 2025, local artists have begun gathering stories from today’s passengers and why the railway matter.

On Thursday 20th April, four of the six artist from the ‘Storylines’ project boarded the 09:55 from Darlington to Saltburn to launch a new initiative taking place this summer. Their journeys will follow the route of the Stockton & Darlington Railway as they chat to passenger and collect stories from those who use the line regularly to those visiting from afar. Opened in 1825, the original line is the world’s first locomotive-powered public railway which changed the way the world trades, travels and communicates.

The artists are seeking to capture the everyday stories of why people travel, passengers’ most memorable train travel stories and how they feel about riding along the route of the oldest locomotive-hauled passenger railway.

Storylines is commissioned by North East social enterprise Citizen Songwriters CIC in partnership with the Bishop Line Community Rail Partnership.

The Bishop Line’s Felicity Machnicki says “The celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway is an extremely important event for the Bishop Line, being part of the original route. We’re so pleased to be working with all the creative partners on the Storylines project to help bring the 2025 celebration to the forefront of people’s minds and involve local people in preparing for this momentous celebration”.

The artists include writer, illustrator and storyteller Lizzie Lovejoy who translates local narratives into poems; Carmen Marcus, author, poet and one of the Writer’s Guild of Great Britain’s recipients of the New Play Commission Scheme; Rowan McCabe, Newcastle based poet and “the world’s first Door-to-door poet”; Harry Gallagher, Teesside born poet and former ‘BBC Tees poet for National Poetry Day’; Becci Sharrock, writer, theatre maker and creative producer and former writer-in-residence at Beamish Museum; and Sam Slatcher, singer-songwriter and
one of the founders of Citizen Songwriters and The Story Train, a creative arts train carriage in the Durham Dales.

For Lizzie Lovejoy, writer and storyteller, “there is something magical about this train journey. This line revolutionised the world of work and travel, providing opportunities for working-class people that didn’t rely on one town alone. It provided connection, between place and people. We are continuing that tradition”

Becci Sharrock, who is using her residency to develop a modern adaption of the Railway Children, remarked, “in a short space of time it was really clear how evocative train journeys are for people and how many memories are attached to this kind of transport”.

The creative output of the artists will be showcased at events marking the anniversary of the railway in September. Some of the poems will be appearing at the stations along the Bishop Auckland to Saltburn route.
Lizzie again: “Conversation is connection, and this first day of story sharing has shown just how important our words are”. For Becci, “it’s only day one and it already feels like a really special project to be a part of – I can’t wait to see where it takes us.”

The Auckland Project has launched a special Annual Pass discount for visitors travelling to Bishop Auckland by rail, to coincide with the Bishop Auckland Food Festival Weekend from 22-23 April 2023.

Rail travellers can enjoy 10% off the cost of a full-price Annual Pass at The Auckland Project on presentation of a valid rail ticket, which must be shown on arrival at any of The Auckland Project’s visitor attractions.

The Auckland Project Annual Pass costs £25 for adults, £12.50 for children, £37.50 for a family with one adult and £62.50 for a family with two adults. Up to four children can gain entry with a family pass and children under 5 go free.

To receive the discount, visitors must present:

• A Weardale Railway ticket, valid for any destination along the Weardale Railway line and for any travel date (including past or future travel)
• OR a rail ticket (either digital or paper) issued by an approved operator, valid for travel on the same date as the Annual Pass is being purchased with Bishop Auckland as the end destination.

This offer is only available in person and can be redeemed at Auckland Tower, Auckland Castle, the Spanish Gallery or the Mining Art Gallery.

Edward Perry, CEO of The Auckland Project, said: “The railway station in Bishop Auckland is a great asset for the town, connecting Bishop Auckland with the East Coast mainline at Darlington as well as linking Bishop Auckland with communities in the Durham Dales via Weardale Railway.

“We hope that many visitors will take advantage of this offer by travelling to Bishop Auckland by rail and exploring The Auckland Project’s diverse range of attractions.”

The special discount for rail travellers will run until further notice.

The offer does not apply to the already discounted local annual pass for DL4 and DL14 postcodes.

Are you looking for a career change?

Do you have a passion for teaching and are you open to delivering education in a different way?

Do you thrive on developing life skills and confidence in our young people?

This job could be just what you’re looking for.

The Bishop Line Community Rail Partnership are seeking to recruit a Rail Education Officer to deliver a programme of skills, awareness and confidence sessions in schools and community settings along the rail line from Darlington to Bishop Auckland part-time over a 2-year period.

The successful applicant will deliver sessions working in collaboration with rail industry partners such as Network Rail, British Transport Police and Northern.

The role will be supported locally by the Bishop Line’s Community Rail Officer and by colleagues around the country who are very supportive of each other and working towards a joined up message to build confidence in rail travel and keep young people safe on the railways.

This role is expected to be delivered 18.5 hours per week between Mon-Fri 09:00-15:00, but there may be occasional weekend work.

If you think this is a challenge you’re up for please read the full job description and person specification.

Rail Education Officer (2 Year FTC – Hosted on behalf Bishop Line Community Rail Partnership) – Darlington Borough Council – North East Jobs

In April a collection of bright and characterful artwork have been placed at the stations along our line.

The illustrations by Lizzie Lovejoy are all part of a creative project called Trailways: The start of Our Journey which was supported by the Culture County initiative, the legacy of the Durham 2025 Campaign.

You can see more of the fab images on the stations and on the Trailways project page.

Bishop Auckland Station and Weardale Railway Connecting Path Opening Event

On Monday 3^rd April, the rail industry and its stakeholders came together to celebrate the connection of three communities by means of a new pathway.

The new path at Bishop Auckland station makes is easier and safer for passengers to access Weardale Railway services whether arriving on a Bishop Line train from Darlington or using Bishop Auckland as a terminus. As a result the communities of Weardale, Bishop Auckland and Darlington are better connected to each other by rail.

The event was attended by His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of County Durham, Mrs Sue Snowdon: Peter, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, Chair of Network Rail; Jonathan Ruffer, Founder of The Auckland Project; and representatives from the rail industry and local communities.

His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of County Durham, Mrs Sue Snowdon said “I was delighted to be asked to formally open the new path at Bishop Auckland Station which makes it easier to access the Weardale Railway services. I was joined by Peter, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, Chair of Network Rail; Jonathan Ruffer, of the Auckland project and representatives from the rail industry; local civic representatives; members of the local communities and the Railway Youth Team who were first class. The path provides an accessible route from the Bishop Line to the Weardale Railway services allowing passengers with buggies, wheelchairs or cycles to interchange with greater ease. We have many hidden gems in County Durham, the Weardale Railway and the stunning scenery in Weardale is most definitely one.”  

This project has been joint funded by Network Rail, The Department for Transport’s Community Rail Development Fund through the Bishop Line Community Rail Partnership, Weardale Railway Ltd and Weardale Railway Trust.

Peter, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, Chair of Network Rail and the Railway Heritage Association, said: “The heritage of our railways – particularly in the North East – is hugely significant and it’s vital for attracting tourism and supporting economies. Making railway heritage accessible to more people is something I am deeply passionate about and I’m delighted that by working collaboratively, this new pathway has re-opened the route to the Weardale Railway that will allow even more people to visit this fantastic attraction.”

The project reinstates the historic platform link between the end of the Bishop Auckland station platform where Northern services arrive from the Bishop Line, and the Weardale Railway platform where services depart for Stanhope. It was the original east to west platform of the former triangular Bishop Auckland station.

Jonathan Ruffer, Founder of the Auckland Project, said “I see this walkway as a marriage between the Weardale Railway and the National Railway Network, with Bishop Auckland at the heart of it, exactly where it should be.”

David Maddan, Chair Weardale Railway Ltd comments “This infrastructure work is of great significance for passengers using both Northern and Weardale Railway services. I am grateful to all who have helped make it possible.”

The previous walking route was a deterrent to more vulnerable members of the community such as the elderly, passengers with reduced mobility and families with small children, due to the dark environment and changes of levels. The old route forced passengers to make a lengthy walk via an uneven, unlit, narrow footpath and a busy service road serving the rear of a DIY store and the town’s post office depot. By linking the two platforms directly we aimed to make the interchange more accessible to all passengers.

Brian Barnsley, Head of Support and Development at Community Rail Network, said: “We are so pleased to have supported through the Community Rail Development Fund the Weardale Railway and Bishop Line CRP pathway project at Bishop Auckland Station. Linking Community Rail with Heritage Railways is so important, especially with the rise in leisure travel. This new pathway will provide an accessible route for passengers of all ages and abilities, in turn creating a safer and more integrated travel experience.”    

Students from two North-east colleges came together to celebrate the winners of the ‘Backtrack’ anti-rail-trespass competition.

Prizes were awarded to students of two winning groups who created engaging short films pledging to not trespass on the railway. The films have been collated into a Backtrack film which will be used in schools and groups across the country to encourage others to stay safe on the railway.  The Backtrack film and a full list of winners can be viewed on the competition website www.backtrackcompetition.co.uk

Students from the two winning groups represented two unique colleges in the region; UTC (University Technical College) South Durham, a STEM-focused technical college for 14-19 year-olds located on Aycliffe Business Park; and Newcastle College’s Rail and Civil Engineering Academy in, Felling, Gateshead, which is a one of a kind training facility for students aged 16 and upwards with a focus on track maintenance and railway engineering.

At the celebration event, on Tuesday 31^st January the teenage STEM enthusiasts enjoyed a full day at the rail training facility where they took part in activities to build and reflect on their employability skills.

Year 10 and 11 students from South Durham travelled by train and Metro to Felling, some experiencing the Tyne & Wear Metro for the first time. They were then buddied up with year 12 Rail students from Newcastle to carry out the skills building activities together.

Representatives from the rail industry were on hand to assess the teens and reflect back their observations. Students were praised for their respect for each other, effective communication, good team work, imagination, improvisation and adaptability.

Lesley Moore Head of Transport at the Newcastle College commented, “The Academy were proud to host the Backtrack awards, the students from UTC South Durham spent the day with our subsidiary diploma rail students taking part in fun activities. It was a really well planned day focusing on the safety aspects of day-to-day railway usage. A huge thanks to everyone involved in the event and a massive congratulations to the two winning groups.

Catherine Purvis-Mawson, Deputy Principal at UTC South Durham commented, “A lot of our students travel to us by train so knowing they have committed to not trespass and also encourage others not to, makes us very proud. In that respect winning the competition is a bonus and we’re thrilled the students have been recognised for the hard work they put into making their video!”

Backtrack is supported by the rail industry including CrossCountry, LNER, Northern, Network Rail, Nexus and TransPennine Express, and is managed by a steering group of members of the Community Rail Education Network, Bishop Line Community Rail Partnership, Community Rail Lancashire, Penistone Line Partnership, Southeast Communities Rail Partnership and Tyne Valley Community Rail Partnership.

Alex Bray, Stakeholder Liaison Manager for CrossCountry commented, “CrossCountry are proud to support the first in-person Backtrack awards which recognises the creative talents of young people from across the country. The popularity of the competition demonstrates young people’s commitment to being safe around the railway.”

Marie Addison, Northern’s Regional Community and Sustainability Manager for the North East commented, “It was an absolute pleasure to attend the Backtrack event at the Rail Academy. The competition has gone from strength to strength with outstanding entries from all ages. The celebration event was the perfect opportunity to bring everyone together to say a huge thank you and to showcase the fantastic work created.”

This Autumn we have been working with New Writing North to enable elements of Durham Book Festival to engage with communities along the Bishop Line.

On behalf of the partnership, New Writing North produced a series of interactive creative reading and writing experiences for community groups inspired by the themes of community connection and travel.

The work aimed to increase wellbeing by connecting communities and building creative confidence, develop creative talent, and increase literacy levels.

Funding from Northern and CrossCountry helped us deliver three major elements within the community.

1. Turn up for the books
2. Balance the books
3. The little read

Turn up for the Books 

Turn up for the Books is a project designed to give young people from the North of England, aged 16-25 an insight into careers within literature, a traditionally London based industry.

14 young people received a series of online workshops between September-November 2022, focussed on event planning, reviewing and developing publishing industry-based knowledge. They worked together to programme a public event at Durham Book Festival in October showcasing 3 Black writers (a poet, an activist and a novelist), as well as attending and reviewing events for the DBF website.

Two young reviewers have written about their creative and professional journey working on the festival.

My experience planning and chairing an event for Turn Up For The Books 2022 – Durham Book Festival 

My experience taking part in Turn Up For The Books 2022  – Durham Book Festival

Balance the books

Balance the Books is a new project that invites young people to discover brilliant new books by authors from underrepresented backgrounds. We know that the best books act as both a mirror and a window: reflecting back to us our own experiences and feelings, while also revealing a wider view of the world.

This element of the project aimed to develop connected communities across 5 secondary schools on the Bishop Line by supporting them to be involved in Balance the Books and further co-creative projects inspired by the project’s themes of inclusion and diversity.

The Little Read

This year’s chosen picture book is Polonius the Pit Pony by Richard O’Neill – a Romani storyteller from the North East of England.

This beautifully illustrated book depicts instantly recognisable illustrations of Durham, whilst also introducing readers to the lives of Gypsy/ Roma/ Travellers – the GRT community is the largest ethnic minority group in the county. It is a story of a brave pony’s journey of courage and tenacity that we hope will inspire children and families across Durham.

This collaboration provided a set of 30 copies of the books to all 24 primary schools along the Bishop Line, along with resources for teachers.

It also helped provide half term community workshops for families, at Greenfields Arts, Darlington Hippodrome and Bishop Auckland Library.

Thank you for everyone who has engaged with this project, there are more activities to come in schools and we will update you on those in the spring.

It is with much sadness that we have to report the death of Bob Whitehouse the chair of the Bishop Line Community Rail Partnership on the 2nd November 2022. Bob had been suffering recently from kidney cancer which sadly spread to his lungs, but he finally succumbed to a severe chest infection and died peacefully in hospital with his partner Laraine at his side.

I first encountered Bob when we interviewed him for the new partnership officer post in 2009. In typical Bob fashion, he came armed with a report he had written on his vision for the Bishop Line and interviewed very well. Once appointed, he threw himself into the task of promoting the line. At those early meetings with partner organisations he invariably introduced himself as “not being from around these parts”, his Brummie accent being a bit of a give away. He stepped down as our partnership officer after 10 years loyal service and became our chair providing support, friendship and encouragement to his replacement, Felicity, to whom we are indebted to taking the organisation forward in a proactive and inclusive manner.

His love of all things Great Western and the canals of Birmingham was infectious. So a couple of years ago, Bob and I embarked on building a portable exhibition model railway based on a 1930’s canal basin railway interchange and high level urban station entitled respectively Whitehouse Wharf and Smestow Heath. This was, I am pleased to say, almost completed before his passing and is a fitting tribute to his artwork and modelling skills.

Notwithstanding our passion for railways, real and model, we also shared many other interests including history, music, art, good food and freemasonry. He will be fondly remembered for his dry sense of humour, kind nature and dedication to the job in hand.

He will be sorely missed and our thoughts and prayers go out to his partner Laraine and his family.

Charlie Walton – Vice Chair of the BLCRP