CRL - Community Rail Lancashire

Regular updates and any changes will be displayed here and other parts of the CRL website and via the Community Rail Lancashire Facebook Page.

REGULAR EVENTS

Every Saturday – Yorkshire Dales Explorer, a twice a day Saturday’s only service between Rochdale, Manchester, Bolton, Blackburn, the Ribble Valley and Ribblehead. Full details on Yorkshire Dales Explorer or via a weekly news item on the website.

Every Tuesday – Clitheroe Country Market, in the Church Hall on Moor Lane, Clitheroe BB7 1AZ, 09:30 – 12:00 – a country market with quality home-baked, hand-made and home grown produce. A wide selection of goods from a co-operative of local producers. Home-made cakes, pies and jams also handicraft items such as cards, knits and textile gifts. More details on https://www.facebook.com/Clitheroe-Country-Market-307301586087846/

First Thursday of every month – St. Anne’s Farmers Market, in the main square in St. Anne’s a monthly farmers market with locally and regionally produced food and drink on sale. Meet the people who grow, rear, make and bake your food. More details on www.visitlancashire.com/

Third Saturday of every month – Clitheroe Piano Meet Up, would you like to meet fellow players, share knowledge and develop your performance skills on a Bechstein grand? Then get along to Clitheroe Library on the third Saturday of the month 12:45 – 15:30 for more details contact Janet or Liz on clitheroepiano@gmail.com or download the poster on this link Clitheroe Piano Meet Up

Last Saturday of the month until October – Darwen Artisan Market – a celebration of creativity and community on the last Saturday of the month, at Darwen’s Monthly Artisan Market on the vibrant Darwen Market Square. Immerse yourself in the charm of this lively town and experience a delightful event that celebrates local creativity and craftsmanship.

Fourth Weekend of each month – Whalley Monthly Artisan Market, located in the heart of Whalley, this weekend market brings together art, design, fashion, vintage and much more from over 35 local North West creators, makers and curators. 10:00 – 16:00. Full details on this link: Whalley Artisan Market

Clitheroe Castle Museum. Opening hours are 11:00 to 16:00 daily. Details of this over 800 year old castle can be found on this link: lancashire.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/museums/clitheroe-castle-museum/

Platform Gallery – Ribble Valley Council’s premier showcase of local arts and crafts. Opening times Mon – Fri 10:00 – 17:00, Sat 10:00 – 16:30, Sun (seasonal) 11:00 – 16:00. Just minutes walk from the arrival platform at Clitheroe station. ribblevalley.gov.uk/platformgallery

Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery is open Wednesday to Saturday 12:00 – 16:45 with free admission. Please visit blackburnmuseum.org.uk/plan-your-visit/ for details.

OTHER EVENTS

Now and until 5 April 2026 – Forged in Steam – a new photography exhibition by Lancashire-based photographer Diane Muldowney, at Haworth Art Gallery, Accrington, with a public launch on Saturday 24 January, 12.30 pm to 4.00 pm. Presented as part of the national Railway 200 celebrations, the exhibition explores Britain’s railway heritage through the lens of labour, skill, and collaboration. Muldowney’s photography focuses not only on steam locomotives in motion, but on the people who keep them alive, crews, engineers, and volunteers whose knowledge and craft are forged through heat, effort, and time. Details of opening times at the Haworth Art Gallery on this link https://haworthartgallery.org/

Now and until 26 April 2026 – Tracks of Life: Trains, People and Places – in this Railway 200 year, this exhibition is curated in partnership with Ribble Valley Rail, Clitheroe Castle Museum and Community Rail Lancashire, with funding thanks to Community Rail Network/ DfT.  The exhibition celebrates the life and work of talented, professional local railway photographer Ken Roberts (1928–2024). Ken was a founding member of Ribble Valley Rail, established in 1986 to campaign for the reopening of the Blackburn to Clitheroe passenger line. The images selected for the exhibition reflect the breadth of Ken’s interests and lifelong passion for railways.  Also included are a selection of model trains and memorabilia. Free entry to the Steward’s Gallery at Clitheroe Castle Museum. Click the link here for more details lancashire.gov.uk/w/webpage/event-details?eventid=2725115

Saturday 28 February 2026 – Lancashire Rail Rambler Guided Walks – two guided walks led by volunteers from the Lancashire Rail Ramblers in the Wilmslow area. Walk 1 is a moderate C walk of 10 miles – alight and return Wilmslow. Walk 2 is a moderately easy E walk of 7.5 miles – alight Wilmslow and return Styal. Full details on this link Lancashire Rail Ramblers Guided Walks January ’26 to June ’26

Wednesday 4 March 2026 – Blackburn Cathedral Organ Recitals – This week sees the lunchtime concert series continuing as we welcome Joshua Simoes to Blackburn Cathedral. This event starts at 12.15pm and all are welcome to join us. There is no charge to attend, although we rely on the generosity of guests who donate to help with our costs. We suggest a £5 donation and are grateful for any support that you can give.

Wednesday 4 March 2026 – Clitheroe Concerts Society – Lucia Strings will be playing Johannes Brahms ~ String Sextet No. 2 in G major, Opus 36 & Tchaikovsky ~ String Sextet in D minor ”Souvenir de Florence”, Op. 70. Trinity Methodist Church and Community Hub, Clitheroe BB7 2JY. Doors open 19:00 for a 19:30 start. Tickets £20 with discounts for juniors accompanied by an adult. Click here to download the poster Lucia Strings March 4th 2026

Tuesday 10 March 2026 – a Community Rail Lancashire Guided Walk – a moderately easy 7 mile walk starting at Rishton (10:56) and finishing at Whalley. Rishton Station, Cut Wood Park, Cut Wood, Lower Cunliffe, Dunscar, Close Nook, Harwood Edge, Belmont Farm, Edge Side Farm, Dean Clough Reservoir Dam, Sunny Bank, Shawcliffe Lane, Berry Lane, Whalley Banks, Whalley Station. Full details of this and other CRL Guided Walks on this link: Community Rail Lancashire Guided Walks (February 2026 to July 2026)

Wednesday 11 March 2026 – Blackburn Cathedral Organ Recitals – This week sees the lunchtime concert series continuing as we welcome Nigel Spooner to Blackburn Cathedral. This event starts at 12.15pm and all are welcome to join us. There is no charge to attend, although we rely on the generosity of guests who donate to help with our costs. We suggest a £5 donation and are grateful for any support that you can give.

Explore the Clitheroe Line

A brand new leaflet called ‘Explore the Clitheroe Line’ has just been published and includes a timetable for the line from Manchester Victoria to Clitheroe and also the times for the Saturdays only Yorkshire Dales Explorer service. Download the leaflet here The Clitheroe Line Guide – web version and get ready to explore this scenic line by rail.

Explore Lancashire By Rail

A series of films is being made for Community Rail Lancashire by a local creative film company Huckleberry Films which are designed to encourage people to Explore Lancashire by Rail. Details of this exciting project that covers the four CRPs across Lancashire can be seen on this page Lancashire-by-Rail/

Places to Visit

Click on the link here communityraillancashire.co.uk/local-places-to-visit/ to see a host of interesting places to visit that are close to CRL’s community rail stations.

Destinations

Click on the link here communityraillancashire.co.uk/destinations/ for a page of suggestions for places and towns to visit – all suggestions and content considered.

Make a Beeline for the Station

‘Make a Beeline for the Station!’ is a community marketing project, that combined the vital elements of local education and wider group engagement with tourism attractions and professional marketing. The project, funded by a Northern Seedcorn Grant and by the Community Rail Development Fund is designed to encourage use of Northern’s hourly weekday service from Preston to Ormskirk and then on into Liverpool using Merseyrail services.

The project is supported by a video that can be seen on this page: Make a Beeline for West Lancashire and a leaflet that can be downloaded here: Make A Bee Line

Discover the South Fylde Line

Discover the South Fylde Line is a brand-new line guide launched by the South Fylde Line Community Rail Partnership (SFLCRP) and Community Rail Lancashire (CRL) during Community Rail Week 2022. The leaflet takes you along the South Fylde Line from Preston to Blackpool South highlighting many things you can do along the line. The full leaflet can be viewed by clicking on this link: Discover the South Fylde Line.

DEFINITELY DON’T GO HERE or you may find yourself enjoying some YouTube videos produced by Huckleberry Films for Community Rail Lancashire.