Seaton Tramway Wins Prestigious Environmental Innovation Award at Heritage Railway Association Awards 2024

10th February, 2024

Seaton Tramway, a beloved feature of the UK’s heritage rail, has been honoured Environmental Innovation Award at the Heritage Railway Association Awards 2024. This accolade recognises the outstanding commitment to environmental stewardship demonstrated by Seaton Tramway through their innovative Natural Seaton Festival.

The Heritage Railway Association Annual Awards 2024, showcases the best of preservation and restoration efforts across the UK’s heritage rail sector. Seaton Tramway’s achievement in winning this award highlights their dedication to not only preserving history but also their active role in environmental conservation.

The Natural Seaton Festival, an initiative of Seaton Tramway, has been particularly noted for its creative approach to integrating environmental awareness and education within the heritage railway experience. This festival has set a new standard, demonstrating how heritage railways can play a pivotal role in promoting environmental sustainability and awareness.

Competing against the Kent and East Sussex Railway’s ‘Looking Inwards and Outwards’ initiative, the Natural Seaton Festival stood out for its unique blend of environmental engagement with the heritage rail experience. This festival not only enhanced the visitor experience but also contributed significantly to local environmental conservation efforts.

Jenny Nunn, CEO of Seaton Tramway, expressed her gratitude and excitement: “We are incredibly proud to receive this award. It is a testament to our team’s hard work and dedication to both preserving our tramways heritage and protecting our natural environment. The Natural Seaton Festival is a fantastic project headed by our learning and activities department, and we are thrilled to see it recognised on such a platform.”

This award is not just a win for Seaton Tramway but also for the community and the environment. It underscores the potential of heritage railways to be leaders in environmental innovation both historical and natural legacies.

Seaton Tramway invites everyone to join in celebrating this remarkable achievement and to participate in the Festival in 2024, which takes place on 27th & 28th July.

Seaton Tramway has also recently won four awards at the Devon Tourism Awards. Gold, for Experience of the Year. Gold, for Accessible and Inclusive Tourism. Silver, for Large Attraction of the Year and Silver, for Tourism Event of the Year.

The Tramway has now been nominated at the South West Tourism Awards for Large Attraction of the Year and Experience of the year, for it’s Story Tram Event.

You can find out more and get Involved in the festival at naturalseatonfestival.co.uk