Kent and East Sussex Railway makes final of two major awards

Picture of Roger Smith

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Kent and East Sussex Railway makes final of two major awards

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Picture of Roger Smith

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The completed Doodle Train Carriage. // Credit: Alison Miles
The completed Doodle Train Carriage. // Credit: Alison Miles

The & Railway hopes to crown last year’s ‘golden year’ when it celebrated its 50th Anniversary, by scooping two awards in the prestigious 2025 (HRA) Awards.

In the Marketing & Communications category, the railway has been shortlisted for its innovative collaboration last summer with international artist Mr Doodle.

In a first for both the railway and Mr Doodle, he covered a 50ft railway carriage with a special protective wrap and turned it into a giant covered in his signature doodles.

Mr Doodle train 
at the platform. // Credit: Alison Miles
Mr Doodle train at the platform. // Credit: Alison Miles

The project cost the railway nothing, as Mr Doodle covered all the cost himself.

After he had finished decorating the carriage, it was used on the railway’s regular services throughout August and helped contribute towards the record numbers of visitors to the railway who wished to ride the trains and photograph his unique artwork.

In the Young of the Year, eighteen-year-old volunteer Aodhan Kavanagh has been nominated as a finalist for one of the Heritage Railway Association’s longest-established awards.

Aodhan is a Signaller and aspiring Fireman
Volunteer signaller and aspiring fireman Aodhan Kavanagh. // Credit: Kent & East Sussex Railway

Aodhan has been a volunteer at the Kent & East Sussex Railway since 2022, working as a signaller, steam raiser and aspiring fireman.

The Young Volunteer of the Year award recognises the importance of young people being involved in running heritage railways.

Three young volunteers from other heritage railways are also vying to take the award when the final results of the Heritage Railway Association Awards are announced at a ceremony and dinner in Newcastle on Saturday, 8th February 2025.

In 2022, another of the railway’s volunteers. Sarah Tagart aged 25 from Ashford, was also a finalist for the Young Volunteer Award.

“We are delighted to be finalists in these top Awards for the heritage rail community – a fantastic start to 2025. Securing the long-term future of the railway means finding new ways to bring in more visitors. Through the collaboration with Mr Doodle, our Marketing, Communications and Events team came up with an innovative way to both promote the railway and successfully attract new and younger audiences to visit. Just as crucially, we need to recruit more volunteers, who are the beating heart of our railway, and that includes attracting them at an early age so that they grow with us and can also benefit from learning the many skills we can offer. Since joining us in 2022, Aodham has demonstrated outstanding qualities in collaboration, quick learning, dedication and enthusiasm: an excellent role model for other volunteers of all ages.”

Robin Coombes, Kent & East Sussex Railway General Manager

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