The original Railway station building in Wadebridge - The John Betjeman Centre  - magically became a living station again for a night, partly thanks to a 'halt' by the amazing 'Coasters Camel' - a 'steam train' built entirely on bikes and ridden by the Coasters Cycling Club - and also through the installation of beautiful themed light boxes, including suitcases, lanterns, a station clock, and even a sheep! These were specially created by many of the community groups and artists for the events, and each one displayed illuminated archive photographs of the town's thriving heyday in the age of steam, kindly shared with the project by Wadebridge and District Museum and its contributors.

As well as The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts COuncil England and FEAST, support for our twin BikeLights events and arts & heritage workshops programme also kindly came from St Breock Windfarm Community Fund, WREN, Wadebridge Town Council, ASDA Foundation, Coop Community Fund Good Causes, C&H Crane Hire, Verfacil Ltd & Wadebridge Coasters Cycling Club. Thanks also to LIDL Wadebridge, Camel Trail Cycle Hire, Kernow Fireworks, Wadebridge Bike Shop, Bridge Bike Hire and Wild Bake.

The FIRE & STEAM 'PLACE' module saw a group of first Year students on Bodmin College’s Foundation Degree in Digital Media working with designers and heritage experts on their own projects during 2019-20, responding to a specially-written FIRE & STEAM module in their first semester that formed an important part of their first year studies. 

With a creative media focus of their choice, the students visited and photographed a range of heritage sites with the FIRE & STEAM team in November & December 2019, exploring various aspects of the history and spaces linked to the original railway, before taking their work back into the studio. 

Outcomes include Tara's John Betjeman-inspired stamp-style print designs; Maylah's 3D projected fashion and photographic installation centred on the old Wenford Dries china clay processing buildings; and Joe and Bartek's lovely filmed interviews recording first-hand accounts of the railway years. 

This diverse body of work has not only provided the students with new insights into their own local heritage (all the students grew up in Bodmin), but it has also enabled them to gain a set of applied skills across their chosen media in college.

FIRE & STEAM outreach sessions linked to BikeLights began a fruitful new connection between a memory-friendly collection of meeting groups run by Wadebridge Dementia Action Alliance and a local primary school.

Pupils from several year groups at Wadebridge Primary Academy have shared a number of specially-organised intergenerational sessions with the Memory Cafe groups that meet at the John Betjeman Centre, facilitated by their head teacher, project lead for FIRE & STEAM Laura Martin, and Tim Jones of Wadebridge Dementia Action Alliance. 

Although the sessions, which continued to take place for several months beyond the end of BikeLights, were paused due to COVID in 2020, it is hoped that as restrictions ease and life returns to relatively normal that this inspiring and mutually beneficial connection can be re-established.

Tim of WDAA says: "Reflecting on the success of the FIRE & STEAM project, what worked well was the valuing of the contributions of oral history that participants have made. The intergenerational afternoons connected viewing of photographs with poetry and music and discussions spanning multiple decades and generations; both the children who attended these events and the participants of the Memory Cafe appeared relaxed, engaged and mutually supportive. 

As part of the extended project, the first of four primary school FIRE & STEAM heritage railway trips, postponed from the 2020 summer term, have now taken place.

The whole of Year 2 of Wadebridge Primary Academy - around 55 children, plus teachers and parent helpers - rounded off their Wonderful Cornwall topic with a special visit to the Railway in July 2021. The first of four fully subsidised school group visits that form a key part of the project, the group trialled the new FIRE & STEAM Key Stage 1 teaching resource in their year group in school first, learning about timelines and railway pioneers in Cornwall in the age of steam.

Following up with a living heritage steam railway experience, the children travelled the entire Bodmin & Wenford network from Bodmin General Station to Bodmin Parkway and to Boscarne Junction, and enjoyed a talk with Mat and Jimmy from the railway team, taking home the very first copies of the new FIRE & STEAM heritage trail leaflets to boot!