SHOPPERS are being asked to save a rare building in Bishops Castle which is on the point of collapse.

The railway weighbridge needs urgent repairs if it is not to be lost for future generations.

It has local and regional importance because it is a rare example of a19th century railway building and the only surviving structure from the Bishops Castle Railway, a 10-mile route than operated from 1865 to 1935.

It is of significance to the community because many had ancestors who worked on the railway.

A plan has been put forward to restore the building, the weighbridge mechanism and the surrounding site for use as a Railway Interpretation Centre and Visitor Centre.

Now the Bishops Castle Railway Society Weighbridge Project has been chosen to benefit from the Co-op Local Community Fund.

Every time shoppers buy Co-op own-brand products they get a five per cent reward for themselves, and a further one per cent goes to local causes.

Co-op members can decide which local group they would like to back by going online www.coop.co.uk/membership.

For more information visit http://bcrailway.co.uk or follow our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Bishops-Castle-Railway-Society-268066073598393/

The project focuses on the weighbridge building of the Bishop’s Castle Railway, a 10-mile route that operated between .

Its existence should have been impossible as everything seemed to conspire against it.

However, thanks to the indomitable spirit of its founders and shareholders and the dogged support of the local population it survived against all odds, despite being in receivership for all but two years of its 70-year life.

Since its demise, it has entered local folklore and is held in great affection.

The weighbridge building is a single storey brick structure, of particular architectural interest as a now .

Many small structures like this have been lost. As the .

Regeneration of this area will ensure that the value and significance of the building within its site and setting of Bishop’s Castle is not lost for future generations.

A photograph (attached) taken in 1955 shows the building in a good state of repair.

Another photograph (attached) taken in 2018 shows the building near to collapse.

The last 63 years have seen the building gradually crumble and decay to the point that it is now in a very poor state of repair and vulnerable to collapse. Action is needed urgently if it is to survive.