A heritage railway is raising funds to make its experience fully accessible to all visitors.
Swanage Railway, based in the Isle of Purbeck, has launched a £25,000 public appeal to help convert two former British Railways Mark One carriages—built in the 1950s and 1960s—into fully accessible coaches.
The project would include accessible toilets, wide doors for wheelchairs and mobility scooters, and interior modifications to comfortably accommodate wheelchair users and their companions.
Abbie King, chief executive officer of Swanage Railway, said: "Our £249,000 National Heritage Lottery Fund application is a huge opportunity but we need to raise at least £25,000 towards the project to make it happen.
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"Every donation to the Swanage Railway Trust’s Access for Everyone initiative - no matter the size - brings us closer to a railway that is truly open to everyone, a railway where no-one feels like a second class visitor and a railway that reflects our values of respect, inclusion and community.
"Any donation will make a real difference because every pound gets us closer to creating a more inclusive railway for everyone to enjoy."
Mark One carriages 4842 and 4961, built in 1958 and the early 1960s respectively, were withdrawn from the national network in the early 1990s and later purchased by Swanage Railway for heritage use.
Ms King said the project is not simply about compliance, but about inclusion.
She said: "This project is a major step forward and the conversion of the two 1950s former British Railways carriages will not be token adaptations.
"They will be developed to the same high standard seen on leading heritage railways; allowing wheelchair users and those with additional needs to travel comfortably, safely, and alongside their families.
"This is about dignity, it’s about inclusion, and it’s about doing the right thing.
"For too long, some of our visitors have had to travel in the guard’s carriage—where they are often separated from their families and with a much more limited experience due to the smaller windows.
"That is not the Swanage Railway we want to be."
Donations can be made at the Swanage Railway website.
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