September 3rd 2017 Our First Open Day

Video courtesy of Robert Masterman

The event was formally opened by Shadow Secretary of State for Defence and Member of Parliament for the Llanelli constituency Nia Griffith. Nia had the honour of riding on the first passenger train to traverse the restored railway.

The project dates back to the incorporation of the charity in 1999 and thanks to many hours of work from dedicated volunteers today was a landmark occasion. The day also featured static exhibits of other items of rolling stock which are currently undergoing restoration at the site. Refreshments were available throughout the day in the railway’s buffet coach and a circus workshop was available to try, thanks to volunteers from Circus Eruption, Swansea. Speaking about the event,

Project Director Des Thomas said ‘’We have been truly overwhelmed with the fantastic support we received for today’s event, despite the wet weather conditions. The success of today’s event has proved to us just what a valuable asset our project is to Cynheidre and the surrounding area and we will now be looking at ways that we can make the next event an even bigger success’’.

The company took over £800 throughout the course of the day via entrance fees, a charity raffle and buffet car refreshments. The event was accessible via both the cycle path and over the railway bridge and saw many of the local Cynheidre residents supporting the project. Even more amazingly we saw people coming from all over Wales and even some people from Northampton and Reading making the journey down to see how the project has developed.

Video courtesy of Robert Masterman

So what does the future look like? We see the project further expanding from extending the running line to incorporate a longer travel distance, to running the buffet service more regularly for users of the cycle path as well as regular open days. Crucially, we will not be able to do this without you, the local communities help and support. The next step is important for the long-term development of the site. Are you interested in volunteering your time to run the buffet?

Are you interested in volunteering your time helping us extend the running line? We would love to hear from you if you can help! If you would like to support the project by joining our membership or donating money towards the development of the project then please get in touch through our contact us page.