Tyne Valley Community Rail Partnership (CRP) has launched a guide to visiting the UK’s World Heritage Sites by sustainable transport.
The idea was born out of a workshop which ran during a pilot project let by the Hadrian’s Wall Youth Ambassadors and Tyne Valley CRP. The young people involved came up with lots of ideas to promote rail travel to and around World Heritage Sites, aligning with one of UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals to build sustainable communities and take climate action.
Recognising the need for an accessible guide to help people explore these sites sustainably, the partnership set about creating the ‘World Heritage Sites by Rail’ guide with support from World Heritage UK.
The guide was officially launched at an event in Newcastle Central Station on World Heritage Day (Thursday 18 April).
The project received funding and support from rail industry partners CrossCountry, TransPennine Express and Community Rail Network.
Anne Ridley, Tyne Valley CRP’s Marketing Director, said: “As a community rail partnership, our role is to work with partners to encourage people to travel by train and to engage with and support our communities. Creation of this national guide from the young people’s inspiring ideas certainly achieves these goals.
“A new venture for the CRP was the design of an online flipbook version of the leaflet. This has proved very popular with people throughout the world viewing the online version, from the UK to North America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina. A truly international impact!”
Alex Bray, Stakeholder Manager at CrossCountry, said: “We were delighted to support the funding of this project. As a train operator, our routes directly serve six World Heritage Sites, and this map helps people plan some great days out by rail.”
Alex McCoskrie, General Manager of World Heritage UK, said: “Promotion of our World Heritage Sites in ways that support and strengthen the UK’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals is hugely important to us. We were delighted to be able to give our support to Tyne Valley CRP to undertake this new map highlighting how to use sustainable travel methods to our sites, and we are pleased to have helped bring the ideas that the young people along Hadrian’s Wall had to life.”
Printed leaflets are available to collect from local libraries, World Heritage Sites and other public outlets.
View the ‘World Heritage Sites by Rail’ guide here.
Keep up to date with future news, projects and events from Tyne Valley CRP via their website.
