CREDITON-BASED charity The Folklore Library and Archive is gearing up for the grand gala launch of its latest heritage collection.

Having secured £25,000 in grant funding from Great Western Railway, the charity has been gathering lost and hidden Devon railway heritage, primarily by recording people’s memories, from campaigners to drivers.

These recordings, with some physical artefacts, will be freely available to the public.

To celebrate the work undertaken on this valuable project, the charity is launching its unique new archive at Crediton Library on Saturday, March 22, from 4pm to 9pm.

Entry is free, and there will be talks, music performances, a VR experience and the new archive to explore, as well as exhibitors and contributors to chat with.

In addition, there will be an opportunity to record a short memory for the new railway heritage archive in the “Ten-Minute Tales” area.

Project Manager Tracey Norman said: “We’re delighted to be able to showcase not only the archive itself, but also the partner working we have undertaken all over Devon – we have exhibitors from Crediton, Okehampton station, north and south Devon, and even from as far afield as Birmingham University and Norfolk.”

Space is limited at the event – please email [email protected] if you would like to attend.

The Folklore Library and Archive is based at Crediton Library.

Its Devon Railway Heritage project focuses particularly on the Dartmoor Line between Exeter and Okehampton via Crediton.

The line was axed in 1972 and was the first to be reinstated under the Restoring Your Railway scheme in 2021.

Among the contributors to the project was Central Devon MP Mel Stride, who recalled his campaigning for and involvement in the reopening of the Dartmoor Line alongside OkeRail and other local activists.

Tracey Norman