Woodspring MP Liam Fox has become the patron of a cafe at Yatton station.
The cafe, a Community Interest Company (CIC), will be used by rail commuters and users of the Strawberry Line cycle path, as well as being a training base for adults with special needs learning catering skills.
A CIC is a form of social enterprise that exists to benefit the community.
And the Strawberry Line Cafe Project CIC, as it is known, whose partners include The Brandon Trust and North Somerset Mencap, has been formed to raise money to restore the disused station building, built by Brunel in 1841, on the downside platform.
A waiting room and toilets would also be made available to the public.

A Yatton man who spent his life working on the railways has written his memoirs in a book to help raise money for a restoration project at the village station.

Colin Forse, 76, has worked with Faith Moulin, also of Yatton, to put the book called A Life On The Railway, together. The grandfather-of-six started working for British Rail on the Yatton west signal box at the age of 15 in January 1949. A year later, aged 16, he moved on to work in the station engine shed at Yatton, cleaning steam engines which chugged their way up and down the Cheddar Valley Line and the former Clevedon line.

Working on the railway proved a real family affair as his dad Albert was a shed man and his brother Roger was a fireman at Yatton.

After a spell there, Colin moved to the Bath Road depot in Bristol where he worked as a fireman before joining the Army as a Royal Engineer. His time in the forces was also spent on the railway, working in the Suez Canal base depot in Egypt.

In 1954 he left the Army and returned to the Bath Road depot before swapping jobs with a fellow fireman so he could return to his home village of Yatton. By then trains were developing from steam to diesel, so he changed jobs again in 1985 and went back to Bristol as traction inspector before retiring in 1996.

Colin moved to Yatton in 1940 after his home in Hotwells, was bombed in World War II raids, and lives with his wife Verbena, 75, at Elborough Avenue.

He said: "I met some real characters during my time on the railways. Someone said to me that I ought to write down my memoirs and over the years I have been putting them together. I haven't got any A-levels or anything like that, because I didn't stay at school long enough, so it's a potted history. The book is not only about my work on the railways over the years, but about the people I worked with and there are some funny stories in there which should raise a few smiles."

The book, edited by Mrs Moulin, goes on sale next week, priced at ^5.95 and is available from Yatton Books and Prints.

The Cheddar Valley line was busy for nearly a century until closing in 1965 and it has since been reclaimed by nature and is now a nature reserve known as the Strawberry Line, managed to protect and enhance a rich variety of wildlife habitats. Work began converting eight miles of the line to a walking and cycling route in 1983 by volunteers from the Cheddar Valley Walk Society.

All money raised from the sales will go towards a project to turn a disused waiting room, designed by Isambard Brunel, at Yatton station into the Strawberry Line Community Caf^.

Faith and Colin will be selling and signing the book at a fundraising evening at Horsecastle Chapel, Yatton, on Tuesday, November 10, at 7.30pm. Colour slide illustrated talks on BR steam in the West Country and Bristol made industrial steam locos. Admission ^2.50.

After two years of hard work, enough money has been raised to turn a disused station building at Yatton, North Somerset, into a cafe. Work will start this month to restore the downside station building, which was originally designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and is Grade II listed, into the Strawberry Line Cafe.

Marina van Vessem, one of the project's directors, is a rail commuter who has had a long-held wish of being able to have a cup of coffee while she waits for her train.

She said: "We are very excited that funders have wanted to support our work. We want to meet the community's needs and will provide a training venue for people with learning disabilities who want to work in catering. We know there is a big need for this kind of establishment and also hope to involve lots of local people in a variety of ways. We know that many people will be delighted to see this historic building brought back into use".

A ^148,985 grant from the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) provided the majority of funding for the restoration and the Railway Heritage Trust also contributed ^65,000 to restoring the heritage features of the building. All the Victorian oak panelling will be professionally stripped and refurbished, including the external timber panels of the original rear extension to the building. The former office, waiting room and toilets are to be refurbished, along with two rooms at the western end of the building. An environmentally friendly foul drainage system and rainwater flushing for the toilets are just some of the efforts incorporated into the design to make the building more sustainable, and a wood burning stove fuelled by recycled waste wood will provide heating.

It is hoped the cafe will open in the autumn, initially with a full-time manager and two part-time assistants.

There will also be volunteering opportunities and, with the Brandon Trust, the cafe will also be used as a training and employment venue for adults with learning disabilities.

Anyone interested in finding out more information can visit www.strawberrylinecafe.co.uk  or call Faith Moulin on 01934 834282.

After two years of hard work, the Strawberry Line Cafe Project has raised enough money to restore a disused building at Yatton Railway Station.

Work will start this month to restore the downside station building into a cafe ^ which was originally designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and is Grade II-listed ^ much to the excitement of those involved with the project.

Marina van Vessem, one of the projects directors, is a rail commuter who has had a long wish of being able to have a cup of coffee while she waits for her train.

She said: "We are very excited that funders have wanted to support our work. We want to meet the community's needs and will provide a training venue for people with learning disabilities who want to work in catering. We know there is a big need for this kind of establishment and also hope to involve lots of local people in a variety of ways. We know that many people will be delighted to see this historic building brought back into use."

A ^148,985 grant from the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) provided the majority of funding for the restoration and the Railway Heritage Trust also contributed ^65,000 to restoring the heritage features of the building. All the existing Victorian oak panelling will be professionally stripped and refurbished, including the external timber panels of the original rear extension to the building. The former office, waiting room and toilets are to be refurbished, as are two rooms at the western end of the building. An environmentally friendly foul drainage system and rainwater flushing for the toilets are just some of the efforts incorporated into the design to make the building more sustainable, and a wood-burning stove fuelled by recycled waste wood will provide heating.

It is hoped the cafe will open in the autumn, initially with a full-time manager and two part-time assistants.

There will also be volunteering opportunities and with the Brandon Trust, the cafe will also be used as a training and employment venue for adults with learning disabilities.

The Strawberry Line Cafe Project Community Interest Company (CIC) was formed in 2008 after the Brandon Trust had to step down from the leading position in the partnership.

A CIC is a form of social enterprise whose profits are put back into the community.

Marina said: "We have to be profitable so from that point of view we are a business trading within the same financial constraints as any other. The big difference is that we will not be making profits for individuals or a parent company. We will be rooted in the community and we are here to help people. We plan to work with local businesses and use local suppliers whenever we can to strengthen our local community. We are very grateful that Yatton Parish Council and local Freemasons have both recognised the value of our project and have given us funding at a critical stage."

The CIC has received a number of small grants over the past two years which have paid for the project development and professional fees.

Special support has come from Bristol solicitor firm TLT, which gave corporate legal work free of charge after one of its partners spotted a notice on the station when his train was cancelled and he wanted a coffee.

Other professional work which was equally vital to the project's success was donated by commercial agents Alder King, which carried out the lengthy lease negotiations with Network Rail and First Great Western.

Anyone interested in finding out more information can visit www.strawberrylinecafe.co.uk or ring Faith Moulin on 01934 834282.

Full steam ahead for new cafe

A community cafe in a former disused waiting room at Yatton railway station will officially open to the public next week.

A group of volunteers set up the Strawberry Line Cafe Project and have been working for the last two years to turn the redundant station building into a cafe.

The cafe will open to the public for the first time at 7am on December 13, serving up coffees and home-cooked breakfasts and lunches.

Volunteers have raised ^250,000 over the last two years to transform the Grade II-listed former waiting room.

The Rural Development Programme for England earmarked ^150,000 towards the project and grants were received from Woodspring Masonic Lodge, Yatton Parish Council, Yeo Valley Lions, North Somerset Mencap, Quartet Community Foundation and the Millennium Oak Trust.

Volunteers and local residents also did their bit to help the fundraising drive, holding coffee mornings and sponsored events to bolster funds.

The building has been completely refurbished with the help of the Railway Heritage Trust and will now be leased to the cafe project from Network Rail.

A new kitchen area and toilets have been created along with a dining area. Some of the original panelling inside the waiting room has been preserved as part of the development.

Pictures of the railway station in its heyday will also be hung in the cafe to celebrate the building's past.

The cafe is working with local businesses to supply their day-to-day needs, including Fair Trade coffee. The bread and cakes will be from the award winning Yatton baker, Pullins, and the bottled spring water will be supplied by the Cheddar Valley Water Company.

Initially the cafe will be open 7am to 2.30pm every weekday and from 10am till 3pm on Saturdays. The cafe will also be used as a training base for people with learning disabilities, with training starting in the New Year.

Strawberry Line Cafe Project director Natasha Pester said: "The cafe has been a dream of mine for four years or more, and at times it has seemed impossible. We are very excited that we have got there and we look forward to welcoming customers next week. We are proud to have created three new jobs in Yatton, including one we have created for a person with learning disabilities, and we hope to have more available later.

"We will also start offering catering training to young people with learning disabilities in the New Year".

The cafe will be run on a not-for-profit basis and any money will be reinvested into the project to create more employment opportunities for people with learning disabilities and to improve facilities for the customers.

Mrs Pester added: "We would like to give people their first taste of paid work so that they can go to an employer able to demonstrate that they can work. It's hard for people with learning disabilities to find that first employer who will take a chance on them. We want the cafe to be fully part of the local community and once they have tried it out, if anyone has ideas for its development or use, they should get in touch".

The cafe's manager, Simon Coles, who previously managed restaurants and bars in London, Melbourne Australia and most recently in Weston-super-Mare, said: "We need to cater for different groups of people ^ commuters in a hurry, walkers out for a leisurely stroll, cyclists in need of a pit stop, and that is going to be challenging.

"In this economic climate it is even more challenging, but we are confident that the support of the community will help us succeed so that we can help even more people with learning disabilities to achieve more independence in their lives."

New cafe opens at Yatton railway station

A new cafe costing ^250,000 has opened in the waiting room of Yatton railway station in North Somerset.

The Strawberry Line Cafe was set up with the help of the Brandon Trust and will give people with learning disabilities work experience.

One of the directors, Irene Stubbs, said the community "needed the cafe" and it would be a "great asset".

She added the idea for the facility, at the Brunel-designed station, had been in the making for about four years.

The Brandon Trust is a Bristol-based charity that works with people who have behavioural and learning problems.

Railway cafe that's a first-class place for a bite to eat

Strawberry Line Cafe

I had precisely 41 minutes to enjoy my lunch at the Strawberry Line Cafe on the platform at Yatton railway station.

Actually, that's one minute more than I expected because the 12.23 was running late and that gave me an extra 60 seconds to walk across the footbridge from the cafe to the platform where the next train would take me back to Bristol Temple Meads.

Designed by Brunel, Yatton railway station was opened in 1841.

These days, Yatton station is simply another stop between Bristol and Weston-super-Mare, but it used to be a lot more than that.

Until the early Sixties, the branch line from Yatton transported the world-famous strawberries from Cheddar and Axbridge, hence its quaint nickname of the Strawberry Line.

Yatton station is an architectural gem. Just over a year ago, a group of locals got together to breathe new life into the station and re-open the cafe on the platform. This not-for-profit community cafe now provides opportunities for adults with learning disabilities.

A two-room cafe with an open kitchen behind the counter, there are pale pink clapboard walls, squishy purple sofas and art deco sidelights. There's a bookcase of well-thumbed books for those who want something to read between journeys and a wood burner belting out the heat.

The extensive menu offers sandwiches, paninis, cooked breakfasts and a full specials menu. All dishes are available to eat in or take away.

Specials on the day I visited included butternut squash soup with sourdough (^3.45) and Parma ham salad with sourdough (^4.95).

Also from the chalkboard was my Stilton, leek and potato tart (^4.95) which arrived as a generous slice, piping hot and boasting plenty of tangy cheese. It was served with decent-sized portions of three salads ^ well-dressed cherry tomatoes, a scoop of potato salad and a creamy coleslaw. Everything at the Strawberry Line Cafe is cooked to order on the premises ^ unusual for a railway cafe these days ^ and there is a policy of using as many local suppliers as possible.

There wasn't time to order the homemade bread and butter pudding from the specials board, so I bought a slice of rich and fudgy chocolate and cherry brownie (^1.25) to take away.

This is one railway cafe well worth breaking the journey for.

It's the Strawberry Line Cafe's 5th Birthday today! Years before the 10th December 2010, small group of dedicated people started to work on a vision- restoring an unused building to create new opportunities for young adults with learning disabilities. The Cafe has weathered 5 years of recession, social change and the challenges of caring for a preserved building in all weathers. Thankyou for your support, please continue to use us and support us. And pop in today for complimentary birthday cake with your coffee (til it runs out😊)

Yes, great publicity, especially given the opportunities for staff. We must all pay it a visit soon.  Sounds like a good day out with the cycle path, though I suspect I will turn back early to sample some of that cake (at least that'll be my excuse).

Shame they didn't show an HST though - would have made the station seem more important!

Yes, Winscombe Millennium Green - or Winscombe Station, if you prefer. According to the Strawberry Line website everything you see here is original - a remarkable survival if so.

Had some fish and chips  from the chippie in Winscombe with trainer of this forum on the picnic tables by the station. Great sense of deja vu as we did exactly the same some 6 or 7 years ago when we were both rather fatter and less fit than we are now...both pushing 70!

I passed through on my way to Cheddar (and beyond!); I'd been wanting to cycle the Strawberry Line for some time.

It didn't disappoint!

... I got back to Yatton Station a little early and the pub (The Firebox?) just across the road was open. 

Cycling through Shute Shelve Tunnel is brilliant! 

Erm ... no, actually, it's not brilliant - it's pitch black, in the middle.  You'll need headlamps, torches, lanterns, candles, canaries in cages ... 

......

Yes, I was exaggerating somewhat.  ;

Strawberry Line bridge marks another milestone for active travel path

A 15-metre bridge has been spectacularly craned into place completing another missing link in Somerset’s Strawberry Line



In a unique partnership with volunteers, councils, charities and contractors, Somerset Council is working to create a traffic-free path from the Mendips to the sea along the former railway line, known as the Strawberry Line.

The new bridge – which is as long as a double-decker bus – over the B3136 in Shepton Mallet is another step towards eventually connecting Ridge Road to Collett Park in the town centre. Although now in place, the bridge is not yet open to the public.

Further works are underway to connect the bridge to new and existing paths, which together will create a safer route for residents in South Shepton to walk and cycle to the playing fields, scout hut, football club and towards Shepton Mallet Community Hospital.

An official opening and ribbon cutting is planned for Friday, 8 November 2024.

Construction was supervised by volunteer led charitable organisation Greenways and Cycle routes and work carried out by local contractors MP and KM Golding.

The Strawberry Line volunteers together with volunteers from the neighbouring Friends of Windsor Hill Tunnels project have provided key support and helped with clearance and construction through regular weekly volunteer sessions and at Greenways workcamps.

This has included supporting with all aspects of the path, from land access negotiations, vegetation clearing and preparatory works ahead of construction, to planting the verges and surrounding areas, creating local walking routes, managing the local ecology and maintaining the path itself. 

Councillor Richard Wilkins, Lead Member for Transport and Waste Services, said:

A huge thank you to our community groups and volunteers for progressing work, your efforts have transformed the disused railway into a vibrant pathway for everyone to use. We have been honoured to support you in making the Strawberry Line a success.

The Strawberry Line project encourages people out of cars, reducing congestion and pollution, while promoting active travel and a healthy lifestyle. The new bridge, coupled with Shepton Town Council led improvements to Collett Park and future aspirations to create an Arts Trail and support local businesses along the route and gives Shepton Mallet a boost for now and generations to come. 

More information can be found on the Strawberry Line’s Discover the line webpage.

Somerset Council is working to create a traffic-free path from the Mendips to the sea along the former railway line, known as the Strawberry Line.

2025? 

Tiverton?

It's not anywhere on the Strawberry Line, is it? 

Hold on just a moment: the Strawberry Line doesn't go anywhere north of Yatton station. That was the Clevedon branch line. 

I stand corrected m'lud.

Sorry, not Tiverton.

I would have expected a call if it was anywhere around there.

Are we on the outskirts of Wells?