The Gruffalo and Peppa Pig to visit Nene Valley Railway

Nene Valley Railway said the visits will follow the success of its recent Paddington event.

Paddington’s visit on Sunday, August 23, drew large crowds and prompted the railway to expand its family programme.

A spokesman for Nene Valley Railway said: "We were delighted with the response to Paddington.

"It was fantastic to see Wansford Station so busy and so many families enjoying both meeting Paddington and travelling on our trains.

"As with any successful event, there are things we can learn from it.

"Some of our trains became extremely busy during the most popular parts of the day, so rather than introducing restrictions on when families can visit, we're planning additional capacity for our forthcoming character days.

The Gruffalo

"Visitors will still have the freedom to arrive when they choose, see the character making appearances throughout the day and use their Day Pass to travel on our trains as much as they like.

"We're really excited to welcome The Gruffalo this October, followed by Peppa Pig in 2027.

"These character days are a great way of introducing younger families to the railway, often for the first time, and we hope they'll come back to discover even more of what we have to offer."

The Gruffalo will appear at Nene Valley Railway on Sunday, October 25, followed by Peppa Pig on Monday, May 31, 2027.

Both events will feature character appearances at intervals on Wansford station platform, plus unlimited hop-on, hop-off heritage train travel with a Day Pass.

The character days are part of the railway’s growing family events programme.

The railway has also launched a £300,000 fundraising appeal to help maintain operations and fund essential repairs and infrastructure upgrades.