Epping Ongar Railway wins Heritage award

The Epping Ongar Railway received an award from English Heritage last

night in respect of a re-enactment of the WWII evacuation of school

children from London held last year. The re-enactment took

schooldchildren in period dress to Epping by tube and then by bus and

steam train to Ongar. The award which was in recognition of the

Railway's contribution to the Heritage Schools Programme, was presented

by Billy Bragg and the Mayor of the London Borough of Barking &

Dagenham, Cllr Councillor Elizabeth Kangethe at a special ceremony held

in Barking.

Rodger Green, Retail Manager,who accepted the award on behalf of the

Railway said,

“I was delighted to receive this award on behalf of the volunteers at

the Epping Ongar Railway who worked with English Heritage to give young

people from the East of London a sense of the sacrifices made by the

British people in the second world war. It was particularly poignant to

be given this award as Remembrance Sunday approaches.”

The event was accompanied by a showcase of the work that children in the

borough had with English Heritage researching and understanding the

history of the local area.

Dean Walton, Business Development Manager, who attened the event, said:

“The children's performances were fantastic covering a whole range of

the history Barking and Dagenham. This included the history of the

Abbey, the borough's industrial heritage and the background of some of

the men listed on Barking's impressive war memorial.”