The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Trust (L&BRT) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Barnstaple & Yeo Valley Railway Trust (B&YVRT), with the aim of the two organisations working more closely together.

Giles Perkins, Chair of the L&BRT and Bruce Knights, Chair of Trustees for the B&YVRT, signed the agreement on Wednesday, 17th June. The Memorandum of Understanding aims to formalise the roles and responsibilities of the two organisations, and appropriately, was signed at the former Lynton & Barnstaple Railway station at Chelfham, 4½ miles from Barnstaple, North Devon.

This is a historic agreement, which charts a joint development of the wider Lynton & Barnstaple Railway ‘project’ to accelerate the redevelopment of the southern section of the railway between Wistlandpound Reservoir and Pilton Yard in Barnstaple.

Visitors to the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway on Father’s Day next Sunday, 21st June, are invited to spend a moment of reflection beforehand at St John’s Church in Lynmouth. Back in January, the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway featured in a Channel 4 television series ‘Britain’s Favourite Railway Stations’.

“The signing of the MOU cements our commitment to working together for the benefit of the ‘project’. We look forward to collaborating and sharing resources and skills with our friends at the southern end of the railway.”

Giles Perkins, Chair of the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Trust

“ We can realise the shared dream of rebuilding this amazing lost railway, with both Trusts having clear remits to make it happen and a collaborative approach.”

Bruce Knights, Chair of Trustees for the Barnstaple & Yeo Valley Railway Trust