AWARD-WINNING Falmouth products, branded deckchairs, films and shanty song filled the impressive space that is Birmingham New Street station last week, as the Falmouth Town Team secured an important opportunity to showcase the town to thousands of rail passengers.

As part of the annual, UK-wide Community Rail in the City initiative working with the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership and Cross Country, Falmouth was given a prominent location on the busy main station concourse at New Street last Wednesday.

Richard Wilcox, Falmouth BID manager, said: “What a fantastic and productive day. We engaged with thousands of people, many of whom had an affinity with Cornwall and Falmouth, and wanted to find out more about visiting.

"I am really pleased that relationships fostered over several years with the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership, ACoRP and this year Cross Country, has enabled us to promote Falmouth in such an innovative way. So pleased are they with our efforts, that we are in discussions with them to profile Falmouth at other key locations across the UK in the future as well.”

The station receives a staggering 160,000 passengers daily - and the Town Team worked with many Falmouth and Cornish-based partners to ensure the town, with everything it has to offer as a place to visit and do business in, was profiled as imaginatively as possible.

The Falmouth Town Team – the partnership between Falmouth BID and Falmouth Town Council – were joined by others who gave up time to help the Falmouth cause; Abby Keverne from the Greenbank Hotel and Richard Burningham and Rebecca Catterall from the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership.

The Town Team secured the services of two shanty groups – Short Drag Roger and The Harry Browns of Bristol - who jumped at the chance to come along and perform to delighted commuters during the day on Wednesday, May 15.

The thousands of visitors to the Falmouth-claimed patch of Birmingham were not only treated to songs and stories from the two shanty groups, but also had the opportunity to wait for their trains in comfort – thanks to branded deckchairs and artificial grass - while watching videos of Falmouth on a large screen.

In addition, 1,000 commuters were given a goody bag kindly donated by Seasalt and painstakingly hand-packed by the Town Team with information on Falmouth and the prize partners.

Richard Burningham, manager of the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership, said: "The Falmouth event at Birmingham New Street station was part of Community Rail in the City where we and other Community Rail Partnerships are given free space at major stations around the country on one day a year to promote our local areas.

"We have long worked on the Maritime Line and with Falmouth's great Town Team. They jumped at the chance to join us at Birmingham and put together an excellent stand, with a great competition, superb freebies and some Cornish sea shanties too! Thanks to them for this and all their hard work. It was a lovely day."

Richard Gates, Falmouth town manager added: “This is another excellent example of partnership working here in Falmouth. We couldn’t have co-ordinated the opportunity were it not for the many local businesses, organisations and individuals who have given so generously to support the efforts, so a huge thank you to them, as well as our rail partners. Once we had secured the Birmingham day, we wanted to ensure that Falmouth was showcased as creatively as possible so that we could engage with many people. It worked and we were delighted with the response.”

The promotional campaign continues after Birmingham with an online ‘Win the #Love Falmouth experience’ competition, which is being run over the next six weeks via Falmouth.co.uk, the official town website.

The prize consists of two nights at the Greenbank Hotel in one of their luxury suites, a WeSUP paddleboarding adventure around Falmouth Bay, a Cornish Spa day at the recently revamped St Michael’s Hotel and Spa, a meal for two at Stein’s Falmouth, a cream tea at the Falmouth Hotel, a shopping voucher at Willow & Stone and First-Class train travel to Falmouth with Cross Country.

The competition officially launched on the Falmouth stand at Birmingham New Street station and will run until Saturday, June 29 via www.falmouth.co.uk.