1 July 2011

Please note: this news article is in our archive. Articles were correct at time of publication, but should not be relied on for accuracy after the passage of time.

TOWN tourism officer Simon Kerr has made two recent broadcasts on BBC radios Surrey and Sussex to encourage donations to the Bluebell Railways 2 million appeal.

The railway preservation charity needs the cash to finish clearing the former domestic landfill site which is all that now stands between the present end of the line and its new extension into East Grinstead’s mainline railway station.

"The early completion of the extension project is of huge importance to East Grinstead", Simon told listeners.

"We have a major tourist attraction all packaged and ready to be delivered to our doorstep – if the Bluebell can raise the 2 million they need to finish clearing the track into town.

The arrival of the Bluebell will bring huge benefits to East Grinstead in the form of an estimated 55,000 extra visitors a year, with a projected boost of 1.1 million into the local economy."