Future of Carnforth Station Heritage Centre in safe hands ahead of Brief Encounter’s 80th anniversary

“We’re on an even keel now and there’s a more positive buzz around the place,” said David Koller, leader of the steering group.

Businesses at the station, including the famous Refreshment Room, sprang into action last autumn to save the heritage centre when the trust which ran it handed back the lease to Network Rail, amid falling visitor numbers and rising costs.

Since then, one of the two remaining directors of Carnforth Station and Railway Trust, Bob Roe, has died but the heritage centre has remained open thanks to the steering group and volunteers.

The plan now is to put the trust into administration, possibly in April, and set up a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and a limited company to run the centre.

The steering group has engaged top lawyers and is planning to forfeit the existing 50 year lease. It will also insist that the company won’t operate unless there are at least six officers in place.

“We have to improve governance and must commercialise the operation too,” said Mr Koller, who hopes the centre can soon return to a seven day a week operation rather than the current six.

“This station is the only major visitor attraction in Carnforth yet so many groups and organisations didn’t know it existed.”

However, one famous feature of the station which probably won’t be part of its future is the clock made famous in Brief Encounter as the group don’t think it’s safe to return.

But a replica clock has been produced which is soon to be installed outside the Refreshment Room and the steering group has offered to organise a second replica for the original location which had become a favourite spot for photographs and proposals over the years.

Mr Koller said that help from Network Rail, who own the centre and buildings on the station, had been phenomenal and they had paid for specialists who look after Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace to inspect station buildings in bad repair.

Two of the units at the station can’t be let as they are in such a state and the condition of some of the chimneys is of concern too.

Mr Koller, a Carnforth-based businessman, estimated refurbishment costs to be in excess of £1m.

In the meantime, the group has formed a clean-up team of volunteers who meet every Saturday from 9am-11.30am to improve the look of the station. More volunteers are also required to help at the Heritage Centre and anyone interested should email [email protected]

The steering group want the station to look spick and span in time for its major celebration of Brief Encounter’s 80th anniversary which will be a 1940s weekend on June 28 and 29.

Among the attractions at the free family event will be live music, vintage cars and tractors, military vehicles, model railways, a funfair, jive classes, vintage stalls and even a Winston Churchill impersonator.

The weekend is just one of many events this year organised by the Brief Encounter Refreshment Room Bistro & Bar, including Rock n’ Roll bingo on April 5 and model railway weekends in April and August.