The Middleton Railway is delighted to announce its Youth Team has been shortlisted in the Heritage Railway Association annual awards. A new category for 2023, the ‘Rising Stars’ Award recognises the achievements of an organisation or group that is less than ten years old.
The Youth Team has been running for almost six years and currently has around ten members between the ages of 14 and 25. The programme aims to provide a structured pathway into the heritage sector for young people who have an interest in engineering, heritage and more general commercial careers. An added benefit is the increased volunteer capacity it brings the Middleton Railway, the opportunities for succession planning and the employability skills many of the members benefit from. Already, a number of members have secured employment linked to a passion they developed while working with the Youth Team.
The awards include organisations from across the country and the Middleton Railway is thrilled that their entry has made it to the final. There is no public voting but the awards ceremony is on March the 11th in Birmingham. When you next visit us, look out for members of our Youth Team who could even be your guard or fireman for the day!
The Middleton Railway was built in 1758 and is the First railway authorised by an Act of Parliament, the first to have commercially successful steam locomotives, in June 1812 and also the first standard gauge preserved railway, opening in June, 1960. It has operated trains every year since opening in 1758.
This post is based on a press release issued by Middleton Railway
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