We are delighted to announce that we have successfully secured a grant of almost £44K for a Memories of the Railway project.
This grant, awarded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund will not only enable the memories to be kept for generations to come it will also fund the restoration of a small area of land that was part of the former railway coal yard.
The project consists of 2 major parts:
- Capturing memories of the Railway in pictures, video and audio forms and sharing these via both exhibitions and on-line means. This part includes the opportunity for local students to learn interviewing and video editing skills under the guidance of Ringwood TV’s Jay Cox.
- Revitalising a small area of land that belongs to the Bisterne Estate and used to be part of the Coal Yard for the Railway. This will involve tidying the site, restoring the sign and lamp and erecting an information board. The design of the information board (and the exhibition) will include involvement from the young people of the town and be supported in this regard by SPUD (a local charity specialising in youth involvement in urban design projects).
The Railway through Ringwood closed almost 60 years ago, making it an opportune time for this project.
Pictured is an illustration of what the site might look like.
The Society would also like to thank the Bisterne Estate for their support.
If you have memories of the railway and would be willing to be interviewed please get in touch by mailing info@ringwoodsociety.org.uk