A CREDITON community interest company has won funding to capture the sights and sounds of the railway over the last two centuries.

Great Western Railway has given the Turning Tides Project £15,190 towards the artistic initiative as part of the Railway 200 celebrations, which mark the second centenary of the modern railway.

The Turning Tides Project helps people with learning disabilities and autism have “equal access to music, the arts and life”. It offers one-to-one and shared support services, creative sessions, events catering and has run the Crediton Station Tea Rooms since 2018.

Its “Seen and Heard” project will explore the sounds of the railway over the last 200 years and how they have changed over time.

The community interest company will explore railway stations and archives and collect sound bites travellers encounter and present them as visual interpretations and original musical compositions.

It hopes to showcase its work in a fashion show early next year in collaboration with Exeter College.

The show would feature costumes made of the “textiles and textures of the railway” with the collated sounds as the soundtrack.

It is also looking at displaying the costumes in art installations at Crediton and Exeter Central railway stations and having the sounds available online.

“We’re extremely grateful for this funding from Great Western Railway, which will help TTTP explore and celebrate 200 years of the modern railway, as well as more than 200 years of sound effects, all whilst being a part of creating equal access in Devon,” said the Turning Tides Project CIC Senior Project Manager Dominic Palfreman.

“We are really pleased to have submitted one of the successful funding applications in Crediton and be given the opportunity to be part of 200 years of modern rail celebrations.

"At the moment, we've worked with 45 disabled adults. Part of the idea for naming the project “Seen and Heard” is about the people that maybe don't get seen and don't get heard contributing and creating the project.”

GWR Regional Development Manager for the West David Whiteway said: “The Customer and Community Improvement Fund is a fantastic opportunity for us to invest in our communities through projects that make a real difference at a local level.

“As we mark Railway 200, it’s also a chance to celebrate the lasting impact the railway has had over two centuries.

“Capturing the sights and sounds of the modern railway offers a unique and creative way to reflect on that legacy while inspiring future generations.

“We particularly loved how this project supports Turning Tides’ mission of ensuring equal access for all, enabling everyone to participate and feel represented in the scheme and the railway’s birthday celebrations.”

If you would like to take part in the project, or for more information, email [email protected] or telephone 01363 772512.

The railway between Crediton and Exeter was completed in 1847. Crediton railway station, which was designed by famous Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, opened in 1851.