A LOVING grandson has managed to bag a once-in-a-lifetime gift for his grandfather – thanks to a big-hearted gesture from Great Western Railway.

Growing up, Jake Wadley loved nothing more than to grab a packed lunch and a pair of binoculars along with his grandad Eric and watch trains at Swindon station.

But in recent months, Eric’s memory has started to worsen from what is believed to be dementia, prompting the now 21-year-old to try and arrange a truly special present for his grandfather.

Jake said: “It was three weeks before Christmas and I didn’t know what to get my grandad. I was feeling a bit sad by the fact that he’s starting to get memory problems so I decided to message GWR to see they would be able to name a train after him which I know was a big thing to ask.

“They replied to say that unfortunately it wouldn’t be possible as they had already named all of their trains but they would be happy to offer tickets anywhere on their network instead.”

After explaining that his 86-year-old grandad has become a lot less mobile, the helpful GWR team went away to work their magic over the festive break – returning with a gesture that Jake has always dreamed of.

“They’ve offered us the chance to go to Paddington in one of the train cabs,” he said.

“I didn’t even expect a reply from them to be honest. The bigger companies you only expect to get back to you if you’re making a complaint but the team kept messaging me and they were all brilliant. They went above and beyond anything I ever expected.”

The pair were inseparable when Jake was a child and it was this special bond that inspired him to try and repay his grandad with a gift like no other.

Jake, who is a mechanic and volunteers at the Swindon and Cricklade Railway, added: “We always watched trains whenever I was with him during the summer holidays.

“It might seem such a boring thing but to sit there with a packed lunch and watch the trains go by was a dream as a kid and it was always something we did together. Even though it is something little, it means a lot.”

A GWR spokesperson said: “We were really touched by Jake’s message to us about his memories of watching trains as a child at Swindon with his grandfather. Hopefully we’ll help create another memorable experience.”