Seaton Tramway is joining organisations from as far afield as Cornwall, Suffolk, North Wales, North East Scotland and Northern Ireland in a new nationwide campaign to raise awareness of heritage railways.
Spearheaded by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, ‘Love Your Railway’ is a six-week summer campaign running until September 5, which aims to shine a spotlight on not only the important work heritage railways do with regards to conservation, education and research, but highlight how they have all been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of reduced capacities and income.
Seaton Tramway is collaborating with NYMR and over 35 other famous heritage railways, including The Bluebell Railway, Crich Tramway Village, Severn Valley Railway and Snowdon Mountain Railway.
Jenny Nunn, Chief Executive at Seaton Tramway, said: “We’re delighted to be a part of this campaign to recognise the important place heritage railway has in the tourism industry. Through conservation, engineering, staff training and entertaining our visitors, Seaton Tramway is proud of its heritage and the future it has before it, and is incredibly grateful for the support it has already received since the start of the pandemic. We look forward to your continued support and the new audiences ‘Love Your Railway’ will bring.”
Chris Price, General Manager at NYMR, said: “We’re optimistic and excited about the summer ahead, but the last 12 months have been like no other year, with lockdowns, reduced capacities due to social distancing, and staff and volunteers falling victim to the virus.
“There are more than 150 operational heritage railways, running trains over nearly 600 miles of track, which protect, conserve and bring to life part of the nation’s rich cultural heritage - giving enjoyment and learning to thousands of people every year.
“We want to do all we can to raise awareness of every heritage railway across the country and the challenges we face; all the participating railways will be posting their own social content across the six themed weeks, but we also want to encourage the public to get involved by sharing their favourite memories and inspiring imagery from their visits, using the hashtag #LoveYourRailway.”
The six themed weeks are: Heritage, Education, Volunteers, Family, Sustainability and Future.