Full steam ahead to turn old station into youth centre

£248,000 FOR TRANSFORMATION

- By JOSEPH LOCKER Local Democracy Reporter

A DERELICT railway station can now be turned into a new youth centre after the charity behind the plans managed to secure almost a quarter of a million pounds for the project.

Eight years ago, volunteers came together to draw up a plan for Gedling and Carton Station, in Shearing Hill, Gedling, to refurbish and reopen it as a youth and community hub.

The station, which was on the Great Northern Railway (GNR), opened in 1874, and passenger services began to use the station two years later.

It was became busier still on the opening of Gedling Colliery in 1898, when it was used to transport coal and mineworkers.

However, the line was shut in April 1960 due to the poor condition of Mapperley Tunnel, which was prone to collapse from mining in the area.

Seven years after its closure the station was converted into a youth club, which served the area's children and young people for more than four decades until its closure in 2005 amid declining funding and a lack of youth workers.