The Yorkshire Coast Community Rail Partnership (CRP) has facilitated a special train trip for people with dementia and their carers along the Bridlington to Hull line.

Taking place during national Dementia Action Week, the event was inspired by similar train trips delivered by Esk Valley Railway Development Company and the pioneering work of the Bentham Line.

The day started with the CRP welcoming guests from Bridlington Right Minds Dementia Peer Support Group to the station, to give a brief talk about the history of the station and the work that they do there and along the line. 

They then boarded the specially reserved part of the train to music played by talented local acoustic duo ‘Three Rabbits in a Raincoat’.  The group also had the pleasure of the company of the Mayor of Bridlington, Angela Walker, and her consort Graham, who joined the trip for the whole day.

Volunteers from the CRP served refreshments as the train travelled to Hull, and guests enjoyed singing along to the live music and chatting to one another. One lady commented: “Today is a much-needed bright spot in our lives, as it normally can be quite hard and relentless.”

On arrival at Hull, they were all greeted by the Lord Mayor of Hull and Admiral of the Humber Cheryl Payne who welcomed them to the city and joined the group photo. The group then went off to enjoy a meal at Wings Restaurant while the CRP volunteers cleared the train and prepared for the return journey.

Rachel Osborne, community rail officer for Yorkshire Coast CRP, said: “It was an absolute pleasure to be part of this very special day and to help put smiles on the faces of these lovely people. I found it a very emotional and eye-opening experience.

“There was great community spirit throughout the whole day, and it gave people a calm and safe space to relax, where memories could be gently sparked throughout the train journeys.

“We’d like to thank all our volunteers, Northern and TransPennine Express for their help and support. Special thanks also go to the musicians who really put the extra sparkle and joy into the train journeys with their catchy and uplifting songs, and to Trish Dobbs of the Right Minds Group for her help in organising the event.”

Keep up to date with future news, projects and events from Yorkshire Coast CRP via their website.