MEMORY OF A JOURNEY

The project sees community groups decorate peg dolls that represent their favourite train journey. These will then be showcased in a growing exhibition at Preston Park Museum and at other locations (including here at Hopetown Darlington) in autumn 2025.

They hold millions of stories for people all over the world. To celebrate the first journey on the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 1825, which gave birth to the modern railway, the festival team are collecting what we hope will be thousands of our visitors' special stories.

We want the people of Darlington, County Durham, Tees Valley and those who visit from afar to get creative by creating a version of themselves or their journey and tell us in a few words about that favourite train journey.

Participants have been decorating peg dolls (paints, crayon, fabric, anything goes!), writing down their memory on tags and attaching them to their doll. Once all are collected we will start to create an ever-evolving exhibition marking all's involvement in this project.

Due to the popularity of the project there an no more Peg Dolls available for distribution. Thank you to all who have participated.