Mike Kenny’s enchanting stage adaptation of E. Nesbit’s classic novel has won thousands of admirers since it premiered in 2008. And in summer 2025, for the first time, we took this production for a ride along the iconic Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, familiar to millions from the film adaptation of The Railway Children.

Exclusively for Bradford 2025, the show began with a ride on a steam train from Keighley, travelling the full length of this historic railway. At the end of the line at Oxenhope, audiences found a purpose-built auditorium within the station’s Engine Shed – and a new version of the production, which told the story of three children forced to move from London to Yorkshire after their father is falsely imprisoned.

This immersive experience was created with Stand & Be Counted, a pioneering Yorkshire-based theatre company that makes work with and for people seeking sanctuary. Learn more about Stand & Be Counted Theatre.