From our Chairman:
In December of last year, I was very pleased to announce that two of the Trust’s submissions for the HRA 2026 Annual Awards had been short listed.
These were:
- Innovation of the Year Award: Fran Bailey and her team’s work to develop the role of the Almoner.
- Diesel or Electric Locomotion Award: Geordie Brown’s work to lead the restoration to as-built condition of HE 1786 ‘Pea’ and to research, write up and publish the history of the locomotive.
For a small all-volunteer heritage railway, like the Middleton Railway, to be short listed in two categories for an HRA Award was a tremendous achievement and reflects great credit on Fran and Geordie.
I am now equally pleased to announce that on Saturday 7th March at the HRA Annual Awards Ceremony, Fran was awarded the ‘Innovation of the Year Award’. This reward is a recognition of both Fran’s foresight, together with that of Janet Auckland and Jenny Cowling, in recognising the need for the role of Almoner and of the exemplary manner in which she has developed the role. The Trust could not have a better person than Fran to fill this important role
Whilst Geordie had a very good claim on the ‘Diesel or Electric Locomotive Award’, the 7th was not his night but he has the satisfaction of having made a distinctive, well researched and well written addition to the cannon of industrial railway literature.
Both Fran and Geordie and their teams are to be congratulated on their success in the HRA 2026 Annual Awards.
Charles
