25.05.16
Winners of £1m heritage rail tourism grants announced
The successful applicants for a £1m funding pot for initiatives to boost tourist participation in Britain’s heritage railways have been announced.
The grants, of £25,000 to £75,000, were awarded to 17 organisations as part of a five-point plan to boost UK tourism.
The grants include £75,000 for the Association of Community Rail Partnerships to develop a website, available in multiple languages, showcasing the best British heritage railways.
University Campus Suffolk was given £51,320 for a project encouraging visitors travelling by rail to discover Suffolk’s Saxon shore, and Ecclesbourne Valley Railway in Derbyshire received £74,500 to convert an existing building into a visitor centre.
Chinnor and Princes Risborough Rail Association will receive £75,000 to extend the heritage rail line from Chinnor to its former terminus at Princes Risborough station, and North Yorkshire Moors Railway will receive £60,000 to expand its Pullman service to Whitby.
Caledonian Railway and the University of the West of Scotland also received £30,000 to extend the railway’s season and increase community engagement and the number of visitors, and £67,000 was given to attract visitors to the ‘great little trains’ in Wales.
Claire Perry, minister for rail, said: “We want to show the best of British to our visitors, and heritage and community railways are part of that package.”
The full list of awards are listed on the DfT’s website, here.
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