The East Somerset Railway is set to host a Dementia Friendly Day on Sunday the 7th of May. The event will see activities run by dementia-friendly trained staff and will include:

• Guided tours for those wishing to partake
• Activities with Dementia
• Train ride (or two) in a quiet carriage

Booking is essential for the event as it is only available for a small group.

Tickets cost £11 per person

To find out more about the Dementia Friendly Day, please get in touch by email using  [email protected] or call 01749 880417.

The heritage railway which opened way back in 1858, operates a 1-mile line between Cranmore and Mendip Vale and is a Brunel railway and originally featured Great Western Railways broad gauge track until its conversion to standard gauge in 1874 which was also when the East Somerset Railway sold the line to GWR due to ongoing financial constraints.

The railway supported passenger services, quarry works and milk over its years of operating until 1964 when it closed for business with the line operating Foster Yeoman stone trains for the following four years.

David Shepherd, the well-known wildlife artist, was looking to house his two locomotives Black Prince and The Green Knight and found the perfect spot at Cranmore and purchased it. The 1st of August 1974 saw the East Somerset Heritage Railway opened to the public which to this day is run by an enthusiastic team of volunteers and is a well-loved tourist attraction which saw a lottery grant awarded which is supporting the rebuilding of the down platform.

To find out more about the East Somerset Railway and its events, please visit: https://eastsomersetrailway.com