Bentley Model Railway moves from Chippenham to Calne

The Club moved to its new warehouse in Porte Marsh Industrial Estate in April and the team, which has an average age of 50, have been working nearly 25 hours a week to get it ready for its open day in September.

Chairman Tim Williams said: "We are getting there and we are in and still working on the building, trying to make changes and that is a lot of work. It has been completely rewired and we have decided to put in a disabled toilet and small kitchen too.

"We started the negotiation for the building back in December and for various reasons we didn't get the keys until April, because it was a warehouse and we had to go through building control.

"We have spent the last couple of weeks throwing out stuff we didn't need and there is a lot of space in the warehouse now. We actually have place for three or four layouts under really good lighting conditions."

The club hopes that the move will attract new members and the disabled, as £9,000 was spent on a disability lift alone, as well as providing better facilities for existing enthusiasts.

"We are hoping we might attract some new members as we certainly have the space now," Mr Williams said. "At the old place from a fire point of view we were limited in how many people we could have. We have a very diverse membership with a very mixed skillset and I think one of the joys of hobbies is if you can share it with people."

The organisation is currently investigating the possibility of a men's shed and holding other craft and hobby classes to get more people involved.

Mr Williams added: "I think the biggest thanks go to Calne Area Board for awarding us a grant of £5,000 and the town council for giving us £500. We have always been prepared to put in the money ourselves but it is great to have the local authority on board and we look forward to offering something back."

The Bentley Model Railway Club will be holding an open day to show off its new home on September 25 from 10am-4pm.