Young pupils from Clifton Nursery and Primary School have taken their first train journey to enjoy lunch and activities at Appleby Railway Station thanks to the support of the Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Company.

The children, aged three to five years old, have been learning about different kinds of transport, including trains.

The train journey organised by the Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Company and funded by Northern was the first experience of rail travel for eight out of the 11 pupils.

The Nursery and Reception class pupils created their own artwork, capturing their journey along part of the world famous scenic line, which will be displayed for travellers to see at stations along the Cumbrian section of the line.

Pete Myers, chair of the Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Company, said: “Working with our local schools and colleges is very important to us in our aim to support our communities along the Settle-Carlisle Line. We are grateful to Northern for providing the travel.

“For many of the pupils, it was the first time they had travelled by train, and we are delighted they enjoyed their visit to Appleby Railway Station. We hope it will encourage more young people and their families to enjoy taking the train in the future.”

Sophie Hunter, Hedgehog Class Teacher, said: “We have been reading a story book with the children called The Train Ride, which looks at the different things you can see on a train journey. The children have a checklist to record what they have seen on their journey and the Reception Class children will be writing sentences about what they have seen when we they are back in the classroom.

“The visit has been a wonderful experience for them all, especially those who have never been on a train before, which is the majority of them. The visit has been perfect for their project about transport, and it has been extra special to give most of them a new experiences of train travel.”

Keep up to date with future news, projects and events from the Settle Carlisle Railway Development Company via their website.