BURY'S famous East Lancashire Railway has been held up as a glowing example of the benefits of European funding.

The ELR figures alongside such major North West projects as the Lowry Centre, Metrolink, Trafford's Imperial War Museum and Bolton Wanderer's Reebok Stadium.

Its achievements have been praised in a new Government document called "Six Years of Change" -- a document to emphasise the way that European Union funding has helped the region over the period from 1994-99.

The publication comments: "East Lancashire Railway is a journey into the past for Lancashire. It is an outstanding example of what can be achieved, preserving the very individual identity of the region's industrial heritage with the assistance of European money. "Restored to its former glory, the railway offers an enthralling 16-mile trip along the River Irwell between Bury and Rawtenstall. Nowhere is the nostalgia and exhilaration of steam-powered transport better preserved.

"The ELR has proved to be a masterstroke of a funding application. It has generated tourism to areas that were suffering industrial decline and are now bustling centres of culture and commerce."

Councillor Trevor Holt, chairman of economic and social regeneration in Bury, said: "The ELR has made a real difference to towns such as Ramsbottom and has brought visitors from far and wide who might otherwise never have made the journey.

"Millions of pounds of European funding has come to our borough for a variety of projects. We hope that those will continue and we will work hard to attract money from any sources which will benefit the locality and local people."