A schoolgirl was ‘chuffed’ to bits after winning a competition to officially name North Tyneside’s new coastal land train.
Harriet Ellis, aged seven, a pupil at Marine Park First School, came up with the name ‘Spirit of the Bay’.
She chose the name because it will ‘make you feel the joy of Whitley Bay’.
The eagerly-anticipated new land train, which will be run by Cygnet Events in partnership with North Tyneside Council, will operate between St Mary’s Lighthouse and the Playhouse from Tuesday, 1 August, and throughout the rest of the summer.
There are plans to extend the route in future to the North Shields International Ferry Terminal, taking in stops in Tynemouth and the Fish Quay along the way.
North Tyneside’s Elected Mayor Norma Redfearn paid a special visit to Harriet at her school to present her with a certificate and vouchers for free ice creams from Mister Woods Coffee Shop for her and all her classmates.
Mayor Redfearn said: “Harriet was a worthy winner of the competition and I absolutely love the name she came up with – it’s far better than anything I could have thought of!
“There were hundreds of brilliant entries from schools all across the borough and I would like to say well done to everyone who took part and I hope to see you all on the land train soon.”
Leanne Nicholson, Managing Director of Cygnet Events, added: “The tradition of naming trains is as old as the railways - back to the 1820s and George Stephenson's Rocket.
“Cygnet Events ran the ‘Name the Train’ competition in all North Tyneside’s first and primary schools giving students the opportunity to enter their suggestions, along with a small explanation of why they chose it – we were inundated with entries!
“Naming North Tyneside’s Land Train really gives it an extra sense of character, we wanted the name to be unique and memorable and ‘Spirit of the Bay’ certainly captures the essence of the area.”
The land train is part of the council’s Seafront Master Plan, which includes £36m of investment in the coast between St Mary’s Island and Cullercoats Bay.
Passengers will be able to see at first-hand the various changes underway along the seafront, including the restoration of the Spanish City Dome, work to reshape both the Central Lower Promenade and Northern Promenade as well as the newly-opened Premier Inn and Beefeater restaurant.
One-way adult tickets will cost £2, or £3 return, and one-way child’s tickets will be £1.50, or £2 return.
For more information visit www.cygnetevents.com or follow @cygneteventsltd on Twitter and search ‘Cygnet Events’ on Facebook. Find out more about coastal regeneration at http://my.northtyneside.gov.uk/category/642/coastal-regeneration
To view a map of the summer route the train will take visit: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1fbiTfTXuMe1t1xu52kPc5ZN5KAI&usp=sharing
To view a map of the proposed full route the train could eventually take visit: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1GUDQmbk-IgqtaHBYoupaOyeo4sc