A NATIONAL COMPANY specialising in the supply of personal protective workwear and equipment to hardy track workers showed its softer side last week.

When Parker Merchanting heard vandals had destroyed a stop sign belonging to the Vale of Glamorgan Heritage Railway, they offered to replace it for free with one of their own.

“We heard Barry Island Railway were short of a stop sign and thought we’d help out,” said Simon Rogers, Parker’s Marketing Manager. “We work very closely with rail maintenance contractors nationwide and understand the importance of the preservation of our rail heritage.”

The heritage line, based at the seaside resort of Barry Island in the Vale of Glamorgan, is run almost entirely by volunteers and relies on donations to maintain the historic working railway. It has recently had to sell one of its non-runner steam locomotives in order to keep on its administrative secretary.

Volunteers from the Vale Of Glamorgan Heritage Railway and their new stop board, donated by Parker Merchanting. 

“Barry Island Railway is doing a fantastic job of keeping our rail history alive. In an increasingly digital world it’s even more important to keep a handle on the past,”

Parker Merchanting a leading UK distributor of safety equipment and personal protective equipment, presented the stop sign to the heritage railway last week. The company’s local branch in Port Talbot also supplied new kit to the volunteer workers in the form of brand new hard hats and orange vests.