Bishop Line Community Rail Partnership (CRP) has supported school children from Stanhope to experience a special ‘try the train’ trip to explore the North East’s newest attraction, Hopetown Darlington.
29 children aged seven to nine from Stanhope Barrington CofE Primary School enjoyed the railway themed adventure at the start of November. The group travelled almost 90km (56 miles) on two different train lines – a special Weardale Railway train from Stanhope to Bishop Auckland, and then the Northern service to North Road.
On the journey, Bishop Line CRP rail education officer Jess Young taught the children how to stay safe around the railway, as well as how to purchase tickets so they can make the journey again with their families in the future.
Once at Hopetown Darlington, the children explored North Road Museum’s new exhibits, which tell Darlington’s story of rail engineering, ideas and invention, as well as Wagon Woods, a railway-themed adventure play park that builds on the story of the Stockton & Darlington Railway.
Felicity Machnicki, Bishop Line CRP officer, said: “This was such a special trip to help make happen; families living in rural areas such as Stanhope can feel isolated and unable to access exciting experiences taking place in our larger towns and cities. This trip was a way to help the younger generation experience how our railways can help you get to some very interesting and useful places, and that often the journey itself can be as exciting as the destination.
“We hope the children use the new skills and knowledge they have learned today to encourage their friends and families to try taking the train and importantly stay safe when doing so.”
Mrs Deb Cross, headteacher at Stanhope Barrington CofE Primary School, said: “Our children have loved this opportunity to travel to Hopetown Darlington by train. Being a rural school, the transport options for school trips are limited and expensive and we often stay local.
“We are very lucky that Stanhope has such a rich cultural heritage and there are lots of learning opportunities in the local area, but this was a chance for our children to explore a new mode of travel for many of them.”
Learn more about Northern’s work in the community here.
Keep up to date with future news, projects and events from the Bishop Line CRP via their website.
