THE Severn Valley Railway is looking forward to another busy summer after re-launching its family advertising campaign, which brought record visitor numbers in 2013.

Featuring the tagline “Every journey ends with a memory”, it was introduced last year to target the vital family market and encourage people to spend a day out on the railway during the summer holidays. As a result, the business welcomed a record-breaking number of visitors, attracting more than 211,000, which exceeded the forecast by more than 6,000 passengers and an increase of nearly 9,000 on 2012.

Clare Gibbard, SVR’s marketing and communications manager, said: “Last summer was a huge success for us in terms of visitor numbers, thanks to our family initiatives. The Severn Valley Railway has so much to offer any visitor but our targeted campaign last year was successful in attracting to a younger audience. We look forward to welcoming people back for return visits this year, as well as new visitors looking to explore all that the railway has to offer for the first time.”

July 2013 saw visitor numbers increase from 21,046 in 2012 to 25,249, while the first two weeks of August saw a 10 per cent rise in the number of general passengers compared to the same period in 2012.

The railway’s popular Steam and Whistle Club, which featured a wide range of activities for children, returned as part of an enhanced programme of summer holiday activities. The programme attracted up to 300 children daily and July/August figures showed a 14 per cent increase on the same period in 2012. Following its success last year, the railway has extended its Steam and Whistle Activity Club to feature additional activities and new themes in 2014.

Families can now buy an annual family pass to kick start a year of visits. The pass is valid for 12 months from the date of issue and admits two named adults and up to four children.