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Wednesday 9 Mar 2005

PHOTOCALL: MIKE HALL MP UNVEILS HERITAGE PLAQUE

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Date:              Friday  1 April 2005 Time:             11.15am Location:      Helsby signal box, situated on platform two at Helsby station Photographers and journalists are invited to a ceremony to celebrate Helsby signal box winning the Westinghouse signalling award at the prestigious National Railway Heritage Awards. Network Rail carried out a substantial refurbishment of the signal box, which was built in 1900, during 2002 with a grant from the National Railway Heritage Trust. Mike Hall MP will be unveiling a plaque to commemorate the win. He said: “This award is excellent news for Helsby as a whole.  I know the North Cheshire Rail Users Group has worked particularly hard in recent years to make improvements to the station and were awarded with a “Best Kept Station in Cheshire” award.  And it’s great to see that Network Rail has also been awarded for all its hard work refurbishing the signal box in what I’m sure was a difficult but rewarding project.” The award was sponsored by Westinghouse Rail Systems Ltd, and Helsby signal box won because the judges felt a great deal of thought and effort had gone into planning the project and carrying it out. They thought the work had been “well executed” and the character of the original structure had managed to be retained. On the whole, the judges felt the signal box blends in well with the adjacent historic and slightly older station building and waiting room, which both date from 1863, and the general ambience of the station. They congratulated everyone involved in the project for their efforts and end result.