Stanhope Children Take the Train to Hopetown Darlington

Young children from Stanhope have experienced a very special trip by train to explore the North East’s newest attraction, Hopetown Darlington.

29 children aged between seven and nine from Stanhope Barrington CofE Primary School, Stanhope enjoyed their railway themed adventure this week, travelling almost 90km (56 miles) on two different train lines. The children caught a special Weardale Railway train from Stanhope to Bishop Auckland, then joined the Northern service to North Road.

On their journey Bishop Line Community Rail Partnership’s Rail Education Officer, Jess Young taught the children how to stay safe around the railway and how to purchase tickets so they could make the journey again with their families in the future.

Once at Hopetown Darlington they enjoyed the wonderful new exhibits in North Road Museum which tell Darlington’s story of rail engineering, ideas and invention. They even had time to explore Wagon Woods, a railway-themed adventure play park that builds on the story of the Stockton & Darlington Railway. After their day of fun, it was time to start their journey back home to Stanhope.

The trip was delivered in collaboration between Bishop Line Community Rail Partnership, Bishop Trains, Hopetown Darlington, Northern and Weardale Railway.

Mrs Deb Cross, Headteacher at Stanhope Barrington CofE Primary School commented “Our children have loved this opportunity to travel to Hopetown Darlington by train. As you can imagine, being a rural school, the transport options for school trips are limited and expensive and we often stay local. We are very lucky that Stanhope has such a rich cultural heritage and there are lots of learning opportunities in the local area, but this was a chance for our children to explore a new mode of travel for many. We are very grateful for our relationship with Weardale Railway, they are embedded in our community and the opportunities they provide to rural communities like ours are very much appreciated.”  

Felicity Machnicki, Officer for the Bishop Line Community Rail Partnership commented “This is such a special trip to help make happen; families living in rural areas such as Stanhope can feel isolated and unable to access exciting experiences taking place in our larger towns and cities. This trip was a way to help the younger generation experience how our railways can help you get to some very interesting and useful places, and that often the journey itself can be as exciting as the destination. We hope the children use the new skills and knowledge they have learned today to encourage their friends and families to try taking the train and importantly stay safe when doing so.”

Miss Hunter-Purvis, Class Teacher at Stanhope Barrington CofE Primary School commented “For many of the children this was their first trip on a train. They’ve really enjoyed learning about the line, and we will use the experience to inspire future learning in the classroom.”

ENDS