Record-breaking rail festival up for regional award

A record-breaking rail festival hosted last summer at Alstom’s Derby site has been shortlisted for a regional award.

The Greatest Gathering is a finalist in the Outstanding Contribution category of the Made in the Midlands Awards 2026, organised by Insider.

Over three days in August, more than 40,000 people attended The Greatest Gathering at the train-maker’s Litchurch Lane Works.

Held as part of the Railway 200 celebrations – a series of events held throughout 2025 to mark 200 years of the modern railway – The Greatest Gathering brought together more than 140 rail vehicles from the past and present.

The Greatest Gathering also raised more than £100,000 for worthy causes from ticket sales, vendor fees and merchandise.

The winners of the Made in the Midlands Awards will be announced at a ceremony in Birmingham on 23 April.

The winners will automatically become finalists at Insider’s national Made in the UK Awards taking place in November in Manchester.