We’ve had a bit of a hectic time recently with the Music Trains as we hit our peak time – 2 private Music Train for charities along the line. Live Cheshire and Cheshire and Warrington Carers had great days out supported not only by the MCCRP but also by Northern. We also had our usual open Music Train which had lots of ‘firsts’ as a way of testing the water for different bands, venues and timings.
You can find out a bit more about how it all went below – also details of the next open Music Train in July .. so read on….. a bit of a longer edition but so much has been happening!
The 1st private Music Train of this year running on the Mid Cheshire Line wasfrom Chester to The Railway Inn in Mobberley on 21 May for a Chester based charity Live Cheshire.
We had a great day out with Northwich Ukelele Band – with 8 members of the 64 strong band on the train providing some great songs to sing along to… we even had commuters joining in as they joined the train along the route! We arrived at The Railway Inn and set up in the garden on a lovely day. The band played more songs. The pub did us proud with lovely food and drink to while away the afternoon before getting back on the train to Chester. More commuters were treated to some music as they travelled. Some even gave up their seats for our private audience which was really kind. It was a resounding success with great fun had by the audience, the band, the pub and of course, the volunteer hosts!
The Live Cheshire organiser was delighted that their client base had a fabulous day out saying “We had never heard of the music train, I found out about it from Vision Support who said it was a great experience. They weren’t wrong, 32 of us attended the day, some with learning needs, some elders and some nursery children.
Wow what a day! We boarded the train at Chester station and sang along with the Northwich Ukes all the way to Mobberley, they really lifted the mood of everyone, we had tots to elders on board, everyone joined in.
After a lovely meal at The Station pub followed by lots of tunes from the band, we boarded the train to return. The band sang Happy Birthday to one of the group and tailored their set to sing ‘The Wheels on the Train’ for the tiny tots amongst us.
It truly was a different and memorable experience, all night I was getting texts saying how much they had enjoyed it, that can only mean one thing we will be boarding another train very soon.
Would definitely recommend, a lovely day that uplifted the soul.”
Our next private music train took place on 8 June where another Chester based charity – Cheshire and Warrington Carers travelled along the Mid Cheshire Line from Chester to The Golden Pheasant in Plumley.
Mambo Jambo was a great success – a duet who bring along a plethora of instruments to make some fabulous music.
We set off from Chester with the band and around 30 unpaid carers on a jolly day out. The music was soon in full flow with the audience joining in with singing, clapping and playing instruments. we were even joined by around 10 school children and a large family visiting from Poland, who all whooped, hollered and cheered along with everyone else. On arrival at The Golden Pheasant we were all well looked after by the amazing team members, the band set up and entertained again before we headed for the return train and a bit more music. The Northern conductors on both journeys were so welcoming – making sure we had enough space as well as making Music Train announcements. A perfect day out!
The organiser from Cheshire and Warrington Carers Trust said “I want to share the biggest thank you to all of those at Mid Cheshire Rail who helped to organise and deliver the wonderful Music Train trip for Cheshire and Warrington Carers Trust. The generous donations of rail tickets from Northern Train, and the cash contribution from Mid Cheshire Rail, along with our funding, allowed 28 Un-Paid Carers to enjoy a day to themselves away from their caring role for much needed respite and were able to go back into their caring role feeling refreshed and joyful. The pub service and food were exceptional, and the band, Mambo Jambo, were fantastic and really lifted the mood with their cheerful music and audience engagement.
Feedback of the day by two individuals who attended were ‘I thoroughly enjoyed every second’ and ‘What an amazing trip out!’ and we would love to have the opportunity to host another Music Train in the future.”
Here are a couple of photos to show what a fabulous time was had by all!
This was quickly followed a few days later by our June Open Music Train running from Chester to Altrincham for the first time. Using The Station Hotel for the first time. Listening to Lostock Ukes for the first time. During the day for the first time!
And what a great time we all had! Undeterred by the persistent rain, there was around a 30 strong audience joining at Chester, Northwich and Knutsford all enjoying the music of some of the Lostock Ukes on the train. They played some good old favourites, and everyone joined in singing and cheering. On arrival at the pub the band were joined by more of their troupe and the music was in full swing. More audience members came along too, swelling the numbers to around 40. Pizzas were ordered from the local Nells and the party continued until it was time to head off across the road back to Altrincham Interchange to catch the return journey.
A couple of the audience commented “We don’t like late nights, so when we saw a daytime train we jumped at it”. The band also thoroughly enjoyed the day out and said”It was one of the best gigs we’ve ever played”
Another great day out and a huge success for the Music Train of firsts!
Click here to find out more about the Music Trains
