Community Rail Cumbria has been helping encourage local school children to read by ‘booking’ them onto special train trips so they can visit their local library for free.

During October and November, Northern has been supporting a number of train trips, transporting dozens of children from Flimby Primary School to Maryport Library, where they are able to sign up for membership and have some time to read together.

Historically, the children attending Flimby Primary School have had limited access to reading materials, and the school wanted to change this with the new reading initiative.

Warren Birch, Community Rail Partnership Officer, said: “These short trips to Maryport Library make a huge difference to the pupils of Flimby Primary School, many of whom have never travelled out of their local village before. The trips not only provide the opportunity to expand their horizons, but also encourage a closer family bond with parents and children spending more time reading together.”

Craig Harrop, Regional Director at Northern, said: “Northern is pleased to be supporting this scheme to get more students to their local library and get them interested in reading.

“I also hope that this will also show these young people how easy it is to access the rail network and build their confidence in travelling by train.”

The pupils of Flimby Primary School are becoming well-accustomed to the world of community rail. The school adopted Flimby Station back in 2019, and the school has had the opportunity to take the children along the Cumbrian Coast Line on the train and work together with Community Rail Cumbria on a range of different initiatives, including the creation of several history and art boards adorning the platforms. 

Keep up to date with future news, projects, and events from Community Rail Cumbria via their website.