volunteers day - 21st march 2010

john lanchester, friday 19th february 2010

On Sunday 21 March the Avon Valley Railway will be opening its doors to would-be train drivers, booking clerks, shop staff – in fact anyone who would like to know more about how the Railway is run.

The Volunteers’ Day is being organised by the Avon Valley Railway Heritage Trust to enable members of the public to see behind the scenes at one of the region’s major tourist attractions.

Between 11am and 3pm there will be an opportunity to meet the Trustees as well as existing volunteers. There will be behind the scenes tours, a slide show of the developments made over the last 35 years and a display of volunteering opportunities.

Bob Hitchings, the Trust’s Chairman, said “We rely very heavily on our volunteers to run the railway, whether it be driving the trains or behind the scenes. We hope that as many people as possible will take this opportunity to see how we are preserving part of the region’s industrial heritage and, as a result, come forward and volunteer themselves”.

During the day there will also be an opportunity to drive one of the Railway’s steam locomotives under supervision. For a small fee of £25 participants will spend 15 minutes learning to drive and a similar amount of time with hands-on experience driving the locomotive. Participants must be between the age of 18 and 75 and with limited spaces available bookings can be made by contacting the Railway’s Booking Office on 0117 932 5538.

For further information please contact Bitton Station on 0117 932 5538.

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