COMMUNITY volunteers are steaming ahead with plans to create a tourist railway on a disused line.

Members of community group Proactive Vision, have secured ownership of the first part of the railway line between Berkeley and Sharpness, which they hope to transform into a steam railway line.

Network Rail has agreed to give a long-term lease to the group for an area of the railway line near Sharpness docks.

Val Watts, a member of Proactive Vision, which narrowly missed out on a grant from BBC programme Village SOS, said this was the first step towards their big plan for a tourism steam line - to be called Berkeley Vale Railway, nicknamed The Beaver Line.

"This is really excellent news," she said. "It is going to be a lot of hard work, but we are now on our way."

The group has already secured some rolling stock of steam engines, which will be brought down to sit on the tracks once they have been cleared.

"If the whole project goes ahead it would have enormous benefits for the area in terms of tourism and jobs," added Mrs Watts.

If you would like to help clear the site volunteers will be at Sharpness every Saturday from 10am. Those with log burning stoves are welcome to take the old wood their clear with them.