Model rail enthusiast’s gift to children

Harry Alldritt with the model railway

1 More Image(s) In Gallery

There’s a new edition to Ward 76 at the Manchester Children’s Hospital – thanks to a model rail enthusiast from Middleton.

Harry Alldritt, a member for the Heywood Model Railway group, decided to create the model railway in a bid to “give something back.”

Mr Alldritt and volunteers from the group spent over 800 hours creating the model and it is estimated that over 33,000 visitors to the hospital will see it each year.

Mr Alldritt, who runs Middleton Community Training Centre on Long Street, was able to create the model after successfully applying for a £1,000 grant from the Community Foundation.

He said he is “absolutely delighted” with the finished result.

“It was about giving something back to the community at the end of the day.”

After suffering from a massive heart attack Mr Alldritt was unable to return to work but was adamant that he wouldn’t be sitting around the house all day.

He said: “I had worked all my life, when they told me I wasn’t going back to work, I thought I’m not staying in watching four walls all day, I thought I better do something about it.”

The £1,000 grant paid for the entire layout for the model. The project ran slightly over so Mr Alldritt contributed the remaining funds.

He added: “It looks absolutely fantastic. I am very proud.”