In spring 1969, the railway between Stratford upon Avon and Birmingham was destined to close. A remarkable effort at the eleventh hour by a handful of people and local authorities staved off the loss of trains to and from William Shakespeare's birthplace.  It's a testament of how far things have progressed between railways and the communities they serve that fifty years on and with over one million rail passenger journeys a year now being at Stratford upon Avon, the  ‘Heart of England Community Rail Partnership’ which will link Stratford, Warwick, Coventry, Solihull, Birmingham and Nuneaton is due to be launched.