Iolo Opens the Box!
February 2008
A historic Victorian signal box from the Mid-Wales Railway, which closed nearly half a century ago, has taken on a new role at Erwood Station Craft Centre as a display point for the Radnorshire Wildlife Trust. On the evening of Thursday 21st February, several years of hard work reached their climax when popular TV wildlife presenter Iolo Williams performed the official opening ceremony. The opening ceremony was attended by an interesting mixture of people, including members of the Wildlife Trust, railway enthusiasts, and artists and designer-makers belonging to the ‘Platform One' group, whose work is often inspired by wildlife.
Left to right: Radnorshire Wildlife Trust Manager Julian Jones, Alan Cunningham, John Wake, and Linda Davies, Suzie Fraser and Joan Payne from the RWT enjoy a joke with Iolo (photo by Penny Hurt).
The signal box came originally from the station at Newbridge-on-Wye. It stood derelict in a garden for many years until it was purchased by John Wake, a tourism promoter and railway enthusiast, who generously donated it for its present use. The move to Erwood was financed by the Radnorshire Wildlife Trust, and the costs of restoration were met by EU funding via the Community Tourist Capital Grants Scheme topped up by the Wildlife Trust. The proprietor of Erwood Station Craft Centre, Alan Cunningham, oversaw the restoration work and several volunteers helped to complete the job.
The signal box, smartly painted in its original livery, now contains information about the wildlife in the area and tells visitors how to find Wildlife Trust nature reserves elsewhere in Radnorshire. It also acts as a hide for viewing birds on the steeply wooded banks that lead down behind the station to the River Wye. Nest box cameras are shortly to be fitted, so Erwood will have its own ‘Springwatch!"
After the formalities had been completed, Iolo signed copies of his book ‘Wild about the Wild', while guests enjoyed refreshments. Iolo is seen in the picture below signing a copy of Penny Hurt's book (photo by Ros Coles). To round off the evening, Iolo gave an informal and very funny talk on how he came to be a TV presenter. His time as an ecology student in London had largely involved beer, rugby and girls. His first proper job was in forestry, but he gave that up after nearly cutting off his foot with a chainsaw - no protective clothing in those days. Iolo then worked for several years as an RSPB officer, but left when he refused to give up outdoor work for a desk job. He had come into contact with the media through the RSPB's fight against nest-robbers and was asked by the BBC to try his hand as a presenter - and hasn't looked back since.
The Radnorshire Wildlife Trust hopes that the Signal Box will help both residents and visitors to Mid Wales to enjoy our wildlife. It is open whenever the Craft Centre is open, that is from 10 am to 5 pm every day from Valentine's Day to Christmas Eve, and entrance is free of charge.
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