At a ceremony held at Penrhyn station in Gwynedd on Saturday, 5th July, two plaques were unveiled to mark the completion of the renovation of the outside of Penrhyn’s station building.

The renovation was recognised when it won the National Railway Heritage Award for a Volunteer Project in 2024. The project was started because much of the external timber cladding was found to be rotting.

However, because the building is Grade 2 Listed, before work could start, Listed Building officers visited the site to determine what work would be acceptable and what would not. This included:

• Fitting insulation and waterproofing the walls, which had to be propped up in places to enable renewal of the frame of the building.
• Replacing plastic gutters at the rear with cast iron.
• Rebuilding chimneys where necessary.

Volunteers involved in the project and their guests were invited to the ceremony, including retired architect Paul Scarisbrick, who volunteered to help specify what was required to gain Listed Building approval.

Other attendees included representatives from the National Railway Heritage Association (NRHA), Network Rail, the sponsors of the award, and Meryl Roberts, the local Gwynedd County Councillor and Chair of Penrhyn Town Council.

The NRHA was represented by Andy Savage, the Chairman and long-time Ffestiniog Railway volunteer; Robert Heywood, and Gavin Johns, one of the two judges who judged the project in July 2024.

On Friday, 5th July, Gavin Johns toured Boston Lodge with Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways (FFWHR) General Manager Paul Lewin to judge the Boston Lodge project as part of the Award process for 2025. Among Ffestiniog Railway representatives were staff and volunteers, including Iain Wilkinson, Kate Knowles and Phil Hawkins.

After introductions by Alan Norton and speeches from Andy Savage, Gwyn Rees (Network Rail) and Meryl Roberts, the two plaques were unveiled by Sue and Tim Sharp, two of the regular volunteers on the project. The plaques are prominently positioned on either side of the door through which volunteers enter the hostel.

After the ceremony, the attendees travelled in a reserved coach on the Mountain Spirit train to Tan-y-Bwlch where they viewed work on the current project to renovate Station House.

Earlier this year, the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways were named the ‘Best Attraction in Wales’.