LOCAL people are being offered the chance to become part of the very fabric of the district's iconic West Somerset Railway by helping to raise money for a building project at Crowcombe Heathfield station.

The friends of the station are hoping people will sponsor a sandstone block for £10 each as part of a drive to raise £7,000 to rebuild a former goods office building.

The structure was demolished decades ago as part of the run-down of the line before its closure by British Railways.

The building used to stand on the platform at Crowcombe Heathfield and was used by Taunton-bound trains.

Its replacement will be used as a workshop and storeroom.

The Friends of Crowcombe Heathfield Station have already allocated £10,000 from funds towards the cost of recreating the goods office, but still need to raise a further £7,000.

The project has been helped along the way by the railway's Bishops Lydeard-based RAMS (Restoration and Maintenance) team of volunteers, who have been working on wooden doorways, doors and window frames.

If all goes according to plan, the building itself could be constructed later this year.

Everyone who sponsors a building block will be able to have their name displayed on a sponsorship board at the station.

A spokesman for the friends said the timing of the project was particularly poignant as it coincided with the 50th anniversary of the filming of the Beatles' film A Hard Day's Night.

"It was filmed on the branch line and included sequences from Crowcombe Heathfield, including Ringo riding a bicycle along the Minehead-bound platform," the spokesman said.

Anyone interested in sponsoring a £10 sandstone block should make cheques payable to the Friends of Crowcombe Heathfield Station and send them to Easter Cottage, West Bagborough, Taunton, Somerset, TA4 3EF.

More information about the friends is available by emailing [email protected]">[email protected].