Mid Cheshire Community Rail Partnership (CRP) has used a small grant of £3,500 from the CrossCountry Community Engagement Fund to great effect as a contribution to an ingenious project celebrating amazing women of the local area.
The CRP’s ‘From Station to Station’ project is a community-based play, written by Steven Downs, focused on the lives of famous authors Elizabeth Gaskell and Alison Uttley. Performed on board a train from Chester to Manchester, and at Manchester Piccadilly, ‘From Station to Station’ is an extension of the CRP’s overarching project ‘Amazing Women by Rail’ to encourage people to embrace the railway for great days out.
Hundreds of people enjoyed the on board and station performance, and also further performances in Knutsford, where Elizabeth Gaskell was raised.
Sally Buttifant, CRP Project Officer, said; “Our aim is to encourage people to take the train and support the local economy, so we are always looking for new ways we can involve the community to put the spotlight on the Mid Cheshire Line and its attractions. We were delighted to join with Knutsford Promenades on this project. The community certainly rallied to create the props and costumes and to even take part to represent influential women, demonstrating a real community passion for their railway.”
To find out more about the CRP visit www.midcheshirerail.org.uk
Celebrating amazing women: the Lord Mayor of Manchester Cllr. June Hitchen (left), with Sheila Callaghan as Mrs. Pankhurst (Photo by Sean Paget, HUX Studio)
