Community Rail Awards. Wednesday 5th October Manchester Convention Centre
Entry for Section 4. Small Projects Award (cost under £500)
Title: Good Food & Real Ale Trail, Friends of Hunmanby Railway Station
Summary
Visitors to Hunmanby had a new attraction this year: a Good Food & Real Ale Trail, a 2.5 mile self-guided walk through the village, starting and finishing at the railway station. The trail combines a pleasant walk with the chance to sample delicious Yorkshire food and drink. The leaflet guiding the Trail was launched in January 2022 to promote the village tourism economy and the local train service. It celebrated the 175th anniversary of the completion of the railway line between Hull & Scarborough: the last section of route between Filey and Bridlington over the summit at Speeton opened in October 1847. The artwork was by Hunmanby Art Group. The Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery and publicans at all four village inns kindly provided a special offer for visitors arriving by train. The leaflet helped raise awareness of Hunmanby Local History Group’s ‘Heritage Trail’ and Hunmanby in Bloom’s ‘Flower Trail’ and promote family run traditional butchers, greengrocers, deli and two village cafés. The three thousand full colour leaflets were funded thanks to the locality budget of Hunmanby Ward, Scarborough Borough Councillor, Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff. A webpage was produced so the leaflet is also available to download from https://e-voice.org.uk/friendsofhunmanbyrailwaystation/hunmanby-good-food-real-ale/
Concept & Aims
The Trail leaflet is a real community project, developed by the Friends of Hunmanby Railway Station, involving the local business community who have helped support the village throughout the pandemic, and were looking forward to welcoming visitors again. The artwork has been done by Margaret Crompton from Hunmanby Art Group; local author Jane Finnis has put the words together; and photographs were provided by Paul, a wheelchair user who is a keen local photographer.
With growing concern over climate change the leaflet promotes a more sustainable way to enjoy the attractions of a rural historic village, partake of good food and drink, relax, and take your time with 'slow tourism'. The message is: come by train, enjoy the scenery, take a 2.5-mile lovely village walk, enhanced by the Hunmanby Heritage Trail leaflet and Hunmanby in Bloom Flower Trail leaflet, both freely available at Hunmanby station’s leaflet display.
The project sought to promote these two existing trails in the village developed by Hunmanby Local History Group, and Hunmanby in Bloom, which combined with the new Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery are making Hunmanby an important new visitor destination on the Yorkshire Coast.
Caption: Front cover of Hunmanby Good Food & Real Ale Trail
What Happened
The project was about attracting use of the train for the short distances between Bridlington and Hunmanby and Scarborough and Hunmanby, two 20-minute journeys through some lovely scenery on modern comfortable turbo star trains. The marketing was primarily to bed & breakfast, hotel and leisure establishments in Scarborough and Bridlington that are within walking distance of their railway stations. The full colour A4, 2-fold leaflet was designed to be attractive, compact, easy to read, and informative, giving both times and prices of train services and also painting a picture of the warm welcome offered by Hunmanby, a traditional rural Yorkshire village. It was launched in early January 2022, as the COVID 19 restrictions were being eased. 20 copies were delivered personally to each of 130 bed & breakfast premises and hotels, which enabled the project to be explained and feedback obtained. Most establishments are family run, very keen to promote the local area to help generate repeat trade and would be happy to recommend the trail to visitors.
Caption: Inside cover of the Hunmanby Good Food & Real Ale Trail
Results
Margaret Crompton of Hunmanby Art Group produced a water colour at no charge. This was used in photographs of the village landlords on the webpage, delighted and amazed by her talent. Northern kindly produced large colour posters for their premises. Supporting statements were written by our local MP Kevin Hollinrake, plus County, Borough and Parish Councillors, and local traders. Good media coverage was generated, as at https://www.kevinhollinrake.org.uk/news/boost-hunmanby-launch-new-trail A talk was given at Pop Ins, a weekly social group for older people in the village, as well as at Bridlington Tourism Association. The work in early spring is now reaping benefits: Hunmanby is being seen as a destination in its own right on the Yorkshire coast, especially for those who appreciate history, heritage, and a slower pace of life.
Funds have been obtained from Northern Railways for a reprint, and an updated leaflet will be produced for a re-launch and distributed after the main summer holiday season. Northern Railways have also kindly offered to provide poster boards for the village station to promote the Hunmanby Good Food & Real Ale Trail. Interest has already been shown in adapting the Trail idea for other stations to promote nearby visitor attractions.
Testimonials:
"I'm thrilled to see new investment in promoting Hunmanby Station, with new trains, passenger improvements such as CCTV and new waiting shelters as well as real time information. The community involvement all along the line has been so encouraging and I've been pleased to be a supporter of the station for many years now, working to ensure more regular and convenient hourly trains from Filey and Hunmanby to Scarborough and Hull. Hunmanby Station is truly a gateway to the community here in North Yorkshire, helping connectivity across the North and providing opportunities for employment, especially for younger people. I'd encourage constituents and anyone else visiting the area to take a trip along to see the handsome buildings designed by York architect, George Townsend Andrews, in the 1840's where most have survived and are in great condition
Kevin Hollinrake, Member of Parliament for Thirsk & Malton
"At the Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery, we're so proud of our village and many of us have lived here for all our lives. The Friends of Hunmanby Station have made the 'entrance' to Hunmanby wonderfully welcoming and a great first impression of the village. We're thrilled to be the first stop on the Hunmanby Good Food and Real Ale Trail and look forward to welcoming visitors coming up from the train – the perfect way to travel to our distillery tours and for tasting our Filey Bay Single Malt Whisky. Cheers!"
Jenni Mellor, Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery, Hunmanby Industrial Estate, Bridlington Road.
"Close to the station, on the edge of Hunmanby village The Piebald Inn was established over 7 years ago. Offering 52 varieties of pie, (one for every week of the year), all baked fresh on the premises, a range of international lagers and cask ales, including Timothy Taylors fabulous beers an extensive wine list and luxurious en-suite accommodation, large car park and garden with a featured sun terrace. A definite well known destination venue that people will now travel miles for to simply enjoy the “Pie Time” experience. The railway station being located so close by can only be a massive positive, enabling even more people to enjoy The Piebald Inn, whether they are travelling more locally, throughout the Yorkshire region or from further afield."
Jon, Landlord of the Piebald Inn, Sands Lane
"The volunteers at the Friends of Hunmanby Railway Station always do an excellent job of looking after the gateway to the village with its well-tended gardens and involving local children in displays of art and looking after the bug hotels. We now have our own North Eastern Railway tile map. This all creates a great first impression for our village. The leaflet on the Good Food and Real Ale Trail is a brilliant way of signalling the village is getting back to normal and advertising how much it has to offer with its friendly pubs, its distillery and its main street with a full range of family-owned shops. Many people come by rail, sometimes returning several times a year, using the village as the base for a holiday walking in the Yorkshire Wolds with days out to nearby towns by train."
Cllr Paul Riley, Scarborough Borough Councillor, Hunmanby Ward