Railway line in important role

It is now also playing an important part in helping to make North Yorkshire a dementia-friendly place to be.

North Yorkshire County Council and its partners in the Leeds-Morecambe Community Rail Partnership are working with organisations involved in dementia support projects to make this historic line even more special.

A key element to this is the work it is piloting at Bentham and other railway stations, which has been audited by people with experience of living with dementia who made suggestions for making it a more friendly experience.

Walks and area guides are being developed to provide a range of railway-based dementia-friendly activities along the line. The partnership is also developing two dementia-friendly information kits that will be available to the rail industry and also offered elsewhere.

The kits will eventually be shared with communities along the Bentham line, other community rail partnerships and train operators, so they can develop their own approaches to being dementia-friendly.

County Councillor Don Mackenzie, Executive Member for Highways, said: “We know that we are playing a very important role in helping to develop services and facilities that will help people living with dementia and their carers to enjoy getting out and about by rail again.”