A COMMITTEE has been set up to oversee the creation of a new tourist attraction in Holyhead. The Holyhead Breakwater Group is working towards running either a small gauge passenger carrying railway or land train between the Breakwater Park and the lighthouse at the end of the breakwater. The committee hopes to obtain a land train this year and set the ball rolling and also to obtain other heritage relics from the town to preserve for generations to come. Chair of the committee is Holyhead Town Councillor Jennifer Horsford. The other members are Mike and Jan Pendragon, Brian Wills, John Owen Knox-Crawford, Kelvin Owen, Rob Phillips and Richard Lawrenson. They are all local people and show a great interest in locomotives. John Cave and Richard Burnell of the Maritime Museum are also on the board. Cllr Horsford envisages that this attraction will create employment and an economic boost, and also provide leisure facilities for townspeople as well as tourists. She said: "The land train would need a qualified driver, an engine driver, maintenance and construction staff. " We will also need people with local knowledge to work on the project. "I really do think it will bring a huge boost to the area, the shops and everything will benefit. She added: "I think local people would enjoy a land train because the breakwater is quite a long walk. "I think a lot of the younger generation don't know about the history and the heritage of the town, so this will be a chance to make sure our history isn't lost." The committee has been taking inspiration from railway heritage sites from all over the UK, and hope to forge closer links with other similar attractions, as Cllr Horsford explained: "People who are interested in old railways will visit one attraction, and learn about ours and come and visit. "We are also making great use of the web to let people know about us." Holyhead breakwater has already launched its website and hopes to get hits from all over the UK and beyond. "Interest in heritage railways is immense," added Cllr Horsford. "An interested person will invariably take the whole family to visit an attraction. This will bring money into the town." This project has been a labour of love for Jennifer Horsford. She said: "I came back to Holyhead from South Africa in 1973 and the area was thronged with visitors. "I want to see Holyhead back to how it used to be. "Four million ferry passengers pass through every year. If we could get just 10% to come into town and spend £10 this would create £4m." www.holyheadbreakwater.com | 
