Bala Lake Railway Trust has secured a large grant for the Red Dragon Project.
The Trust’s flagship Red Dragon Project, which is working towards extending the Bala Lake Railway to a new terminus in Bala, has been awarded a £23,000 grant by the Magnox Socio Economic Fund.
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority established the fund to mitigate the impact that decommissioning its nuclear power stations would have on local communities. It provides support for local employment, economic diversification and social infrastructure, and to improve education and skills provision.
Edward Selden, Trawsfynnydd Closure Director, explained, “The Magnox socio-economic scheme is providing invaluable support in the early stages of this transformational project, boosting the economy through tourism to the area and bringing much needed employment opportunities. This helps to build a sustainable future”.
Describing the award, BLR Trust Chairman Julian Birley BEM said, “This is fantastic news that gives further impetus to a project that continues to build momentum.
“There are so many people on board with this project and it has got the town buzzing. With the necessary land purchases well in hand, we are getting ever nearer to the magic moment when we start laying track, although we still have a lot to do before then”.
Explaining how the Trust qualified for this grant, Julian added, “The extension means so much more than an extended running line as it will completely transform the fortunes of the town. The overwhelming support this project has from the local community shows how important it is to them and why it is so important that we keep up the pace”.
The grant will go towards the engineering consultancy necessary for the extension designs, in particular working with Natural Resources Wales to include the formation for the railway during their forthcoming scheme to upgrade the flood defences along Llyn Tegid.
