Filming The Flying Scotsman, 25th October 2022

Richmond Branch RSCDS members welcomed the opportunity to get involved in the 2023 celebrations to mark the Centenary of the Society. The project featuring the dance ‘The Flying Scotsman’ has a particular appeal for our group here in the North East of England where we have a special historical link with the railways. We have our own NE Railway Centenary coming along in 2025 when we will be celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the Opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway – a significant event and one which will generate a lot of worldwide interest.

Richmond Branch has many members from the Darlington area so where better for us to choose to dance than on the station platform at Head of Steam, Darlington’s Railway Museum, beside an actual steam locomotive providing an ideal background against which to dance!

We have been very appreciative of the support from the Museum for giving us this opportunity to use North Road Station for the dancing and through this celebrate our unique location and especial links with our railway heritage.

The historic Railway Station presents the perfect background for our enthusiastic group of dancers of all ages and the event offered an opportunity for Richmond Branch to bring together our own members and invite young dancers from local school groups to join us. No matter what age you are the simple but enjoyable appeal of the dance pattern of The Flying Scotsman – driving the train and following the railway lines – to accompanying sounds of train noises of track, wheels and whistle – is hard to beat!

~ Joy Bradshaw

Watch our video here, or watch the RSCDS centenary video here (and look out for us in it!)