A number of dignitaries are confirmed as attending including the Chair of Carmarthenshire County Council, representatives of Llanelli Rural and Town councils, the Coalfields Regeneration Trust development officer, the Engineering Director of Transport for Wales, representatives of South West Wales Connected, and Cefin Campbell Senedd member for Mid and South Wales.
The cafe was funded from a number of grants awarded to the railway in early 2024. These comprised £40,000 (forty thousand pounds) from the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund and £20,000 (twenty thousand pounds) from Carmarthenshire County Council Targeted Finance fund.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund grant was used to help fund the development of a Community Hub at Cynheidre including cafe facilities. This incorporated the recycled body shell of a single car ‘Sprinter’ unit kindly provided by Transport for Wales and giving it a unique railway feel. The much needed provision of a mains electricity supply for the site also formed part of this project.
The Carmarthenshire County Council Targeted Finance Fund grant further supported the provision of electricity to the site and the development of the cafe for visitors and the local community whilst also facilitating the creation of two job opportunities at the railway.
The cafe will be formally launched to the public at 12.15pm on Saturday 19th April 2025 during the railway’s Easter event, under the brand name ‘The SuperSprinter Café’, a nod to its previous life as a commuter train. It will then be open to the public and community on selected dates throughout the rest of the year, with opening details posted on the café’s dedicated Facebook page and the railway’s social media outlets.
Mark Thomas, Chairman of the 100% volunteer run charity commented ‘we are very excited to be officially launching our new SuperSprinter Café as part of our Easter event and hope that our visitors and the local community enjoy using these super new facilities. We would like to thank the funding bodies for their support’.
Trains will run before and after the launch as part of the railways annual ‘Ride with the Easter Bunny’ event.
Please check the website at www.llanellirailway.co.uk or social media regularly for details of all future events at the railway.
The railway is a charity run totally by volunteers. It is hoping to grow into a major tourist attraction for the Llanelli district and in order to reach our goals we need more volunteer help in all departments including operational, maintenance and restoration, and administration. If you could spare a few hours for what is a most enjoyable pastime and worthwhile cause do not hesitate to get in touch. For more information or to volunteer please visit our website at https://www.llanellirailway.co.uk or Facebook page at www.facebook.com/llanellirailway
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