IT has been a highly promising year for Weardale. After the anguish and uncertainty brought by the closure of Lafarge Cement's Eastgate works, ingenuity and hard work have helped the dale to look to the future.

First came the re-opening of the magnificent Weardale Railway, creating valuable transport and tourism links across a beautiful stretch of England.

Then came the announcement earlier this month that "hot rocks" had been discovered underground, giving life to the dream that jobs could be created by the dale becoming Britain's first truly sustainable community.

How sad that a year brimming with such optimism should end with crisis talks taking place between the organisations which have helped to fund the Weardale Railway.

The railway is an integral part of the regeneration of the dale and everything possible must be done to ensure that its rebirth is not short-lived.

Of course, we live in an age where money is king and the Weardale Railway has to work to a sustainable business plan.

But it has to be given the chance to establish itself and we hope that One NorthEast, the Heritage Lottery Fund and other organisations involved in the talks are able to take a long-term view of the benefits the Weardale Railway can bring.

Overnight success is extremely hard to come by and the small army of volunteers who laboured so hard to get the project on track deserve the chance to make it work.