PRIMARY SCHOOL’S ARTWORK FILLS THE PLATFORM GALLERY

Every May the country’s community rail partnerships celebrate all that is good about the railway industry working in partnership with the community. The East Lancashire and Clitheroe Line Partnerships held their annual event in the Platform Gallery, Clitheroe over the weekend of 17th & 18th May 2009.

The main display was two walls covered in artwork from five primary schools in the Ribble Valley. The children were given a template and asked to draw or paint what they might see through the train window. This project is development of the ‘Explore the Ribble Valley Line’ DVD and Partnership Officers have been visiting schools to show the DVD and also to introduce the children to the history of the railway through artefacts. The children are then taken on a journey between Blackburn and Clitheroe to actually see the things shown in the DVD.

Over 150 pictures were received from the five schools and these filled two full walls in the gallery. One image will be chosen from each school and will feature on a refurbished welcome board near to the railway station. Also on display was a photographic exhibition describing in pictures the work of station partnerships and the work of the various Community Rail Partnerships.