As part of the 20th anniversary Community Rail Awards held in Newcastle in March 2025, community rail partnerships (CRPs) in the North East (including the Bishop Line CRP, Esk Valley Railway and Tyne Valley CRP), collaborated on a series of events and promotions to showcase the rich railway heritage of the North East and North Yorkshire, as well as the amazing work being delivered in each CRP’s area.
Felicity Machnicki, community rail officer for the Bishop Line CRP, talks us through the highlights of the awards fringe events programme.
North East CRPs collaborative leaflet to promote train travel across the region
In preparation for the many visitors arriving in the region to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the modern railway, the three community rail partnerships collaborated to produce a handy leaflet showing the key attractions on each line and, most importantly, how to travel to them by train.
Haltwhistle visit
The day before the awards, Tyne Valley CRP directors welcomed members of the Community Rail Network board to Haltwhistle for a tour of the refurbished buildings and refreshments in the Water Tower café, where there were some interesting conversations about the role community rail has to play in repurposing neglected railway buildings for community benefit.
Exhibition of CRP work across the region
The three CRPs also worked collaboratively to deliver a fantastic exhibition in the drinks reception space on the awards evening, showcasing the breadth of community rail projects and initiatives delivered across the region. We hope you had time to see the exhibition while you were networking, if you missed it, the boards will be featured at future CRP events.
Weardale Special Train
Following a fantastic night at the Community Rail Awards, the next morning on Friday 14 March, a special service departed from Bishop Auckland West to Stanhope, marking a successful collaboration between Bishop Line and Weardale Railway. General Manager Claire Gibbons welcomed everyone on board and gave a brief overview of the railway, highlighting some of its incredible history and links to the Stockton & Darlington Railway.
The journey, supported by dedicated community rail volunteers and staff, showcased the shared commitment to promoting local rail travel and connecting communities along the route. Passengers enjoyed the scenic ride through Weardale, with many praising the welcoming atmosphere and beautiful views along the way. Weardale Railway is delighted to work alongside Bishop Line CRP to create more opportunities like this – celebrating our region’s heritage and encouraging community engagement.
Passengers and Pioneers Album Launch
Another event that was hosted the day after the awards ceremony was the Bishop Line CRP’s launch of the album ‘Passengers and Pioneers’ at the Common Room in Newcastle. The album is the culmination of work by singer songwriter Sam Slatcher as part of the Storylines project. It was fantastic to welcome around 70 people across two shows to celebrate the beautiful music and poetry created throughout the project in such a wonderful space.
