THE ORGANISERS of the Llangollen Garden Railway Festival have hailed this year’s event as another major success after welcoming hundreds of visitors to Llangollen over the weekend. Held at the Llangollen Pavilion, the festival brought together more than 40 traders, exhibitors, societies and model railway layouts from across the UK, attracting enthusiasts, families and hobbyists to the Dee Valley.
Visitors were able to enjoy an impressive range of exhibits, including large-scale outdoor railways, live steam layouts, electric and gas-powered models, hands-on activities for children and demonstrations from experienced railway modellers.
Importantly, organisers say hundreds of visitors stayed in and around Llangollen for the weekend, providing a significant boost to the local economy and supporting hotels, guest houses, pubs, restaurants and local attractions.
The festival, which launched in 2022, has rapidly established itself as one of the UK’s leading garden railway events and continues to grow in popularity each year.
Festival organiser Keith Potts said, “We are absolutely delighted with how this year’s festival has gone.
“The feedback from exhibitors, traders and visitors has been overwhelmingly positive and it was fantastic to see so many people travelling to Llangollen to enjoy the event.
“The quality of the layouts on display was exceptional and we are incredibly grateful to the exhibitors who travelled from across the country to share their railways with visitors.
“The amount of time, skill and craftsmanship that goes into building these layouts is remarkable and they are the heart of the festival.
“I would also like to thank our traders for supporting the event and, most importantly, the volunteers who worked so hard behind the scenes before, during and after the festival. Without their dedication, events like this simply would not happen.
“What makes the festival particularly special is that it brings people together through a shared passion whilst also supporting the local economy and local charities. We are already looking forward to next year.”
The festival also partnered with the Llangollen and Corwen Railway, encouraging visitors to combine their visit with a journey through the Dee Valley by heritage train. The railway also ran a special evening service for the festival on the Friday night – giving traders a chance to see one of the UK’s most scenic heritage railways.
Llangollen and Corwen Railway Trust Manager David Hennigan said: “It was a privilege to work alongside Keith and his team on this year’s festival. The quality of the modelling, engineering and craftsmanship on display was genuinely outstanding.
“We brought some of our renowned railway engineers to the event, including Steve Andrews, co-owner of GWR Heavy Freight No. 3802, and they were hugely impressed by the standard of workmanship and attention to detail they saw throughout the festival.
“What was particularly pleasing was seeing two parts of the railway hobby come together. By partnering with the Garden Railway Festival, the Llangollen and Corwen Railway helped ensure that Llangollen was the place to be for railway enthusiasts, whether their passion is measured in inches or full-sized locomotives.
“The fact that so many people travelled to the town and many stayed for the weekend demonstrates the value of events like this and the positive impact they have on the wider visitor economy.”
Since launching in 2022, the volunteer-led festival has raised more than £10,000 for local charities and community groups whilst continuing to attract visitors from across the UK.
Organisers have already confirmed that planning will soon begin for next year’s event.
