'Train fanatic' great-grandmother waves train off at Honeybourne station

Rose Gardner described herself as an "absolute train fanatic"

A "train fanatic" great-grandmother carried out a wish off her own bucket list as she signalled a train to leave a Worcestershire station.

Rose Gardner, 78, gave the sign for the train to leave Honeybourne, the station where, as a child, she helped clean the royal train.

Ms Gardner said "it was great" to see off the Great Western Railway (GWR) train on Wednesday.

"I'm an absolute train fanatic," she said.

"This is something I've always wanted to do. I like the Flying Scotsman and I'm also a big fan of the GWR trains which go up to Worcester Shrub Hill - they go great guns."

Station manager Billy White (right) said it was a pleasure to to make one of Rose's dreams come true

Ms Gardner, from Upton Snodsbury, near Worcester, who has five children, 20 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren, said she grew up around trains and railways.

Her father worked in a nearby shunting yard and one of her brothers was a stoker.

She said helping to clean the royal train was a treat as it was so exciting.

"There was always lots of excitement whenever the royal train came in with the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh on board," she said.

"We were allowed to clean the top half of the train and it really was something to look forward to."

Rose Gardner said she loved trains and played train simulator video games on a laptop

Now in a wheelchair, she said she planned several things to do on her bucket list because she was "getting older and there's still lots of things I'd like to do".

"I enjoy playing [train simulator video games] on the laptop and taking the train through to a certain station," she added.

"But nothing beats travelling on an actual train. I like sitting by the window and watching the countryside roll by."

Her family contacted GWR to see if they could help fulfil her wish and Billy White, station manager for the North Cotswolds, said it was a pleasure to to make one of her dreams come true.