Charity given £25,000 boost for railway project

A railway history project set up by a Devon charity has received a financial boost from a train operator.

Great Western Railway (GWR) said it had given a £25,000 grant to the Folklore Library and Archive, based in Crediton, through its Customer and Community Improvement Fund.

The money will be used for the charity's Devon Railway Heritage project, which aims to gather historic details and stories from Devon's railways with a particular focus on the Exeter to Okehampton branch line.

Project manager Tracey Norman said the charity was extremely grateful for the funding from GWR.

Ms Norman said: "We have already heard some absolute gems from people about their past experiences."

The charity said it would record and transcribe interviews linked to the project along with digitalising historic photographs and film of Devon's branch lines.

The project is running until February 2025.

Follow BBC Devon on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].