Leigh984, The creative portfolio of Leigh Spencer

My film features various cycling teams as they prepare for and race stage 4 of the 2013 Tour Of Britain bike race from Stoke-on-Trent to Llanberis. We begin with the bikes being set up for racing before following them as they pass under fla mme rouge (A red flag displayed with one kilometre remaining from the finish line of a race) before passing the Snowdon Mountain Railway station in Llanberis and on to the finish line in the Welsh town. After the race we follow the riders and the teams as the wash the bikes down ready to race stage 5 the next day.

During a visit to The Snowdon Mountain Railway I was invited to take a look 'behind the scenes' in the railways engine sheds in Llanberis. The sheds are equipped to repair and maintain their collection of both vintage steam and more recent diesel engines. The recently restored Snowdon Lilly Carriage can be seen alongside one of the steam engines awaiting it's first public trip to the summit later that day as part of the newly launched Heritage Steam Service my video of which can be seenin my previous post Here

In June 2013 the Snowdon Mountain Railway launched The Snowdon Lily Heritage Steam Service to the summit of Mt Snowdon, they invited me along to step back in time and board their 34 seater brand new period style carriage. The carriage built to an original design using modern techniques has been named the Snowdon Lily and other than the glass windows is an exact replica of the type that Victorian passengers would have boarded on their way to the summit over 100 years ago. The carriage was pushed by Enid one of a number of the original steam locomotives still in use by the railway today for heritage experiences such as this. As the service made its way to the summit walkers looked on surrounded by the spectacular scenery that Snowdonia is famed for, an experience the Victorian passengers 100 years ago would recognise immediately. after an hour at the summit we boarded the service for the return trip down the mountain catching fleeting glimpses of waterfalls and wildlife as we des...

Whilst filming at the summit of Mt Snowdon I witnessed a Royal Air Force Helicopter performing a rescue of a stranded climber. The Helicopter is believed to be from the base at which HRH Prince William is based although it is unknown as to whether he was in the pilot`s seat on this occasion.

  My Video features the unique scenes on The Snowdon Mountain Railway yesterday after heavy springtime snowfall had caused the initial closure of the line. The Railway`s staff have worked hard to cut through the huge snowdrifts and get the line operational again leaving deep snow lined corridors for the trains to pass through and creating spectacular scenes rare to Springtime in the UK.

On 29th May 2012 the Olympic Torch Relay reached its highest point visiting the summit of Mt Snowdon in Wales. The Torch was carried to the summit aboard a Snowdon Mountain Railway steam engine with the Everest mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington who then carried the flame the final few meters to the summit of the mountain cheered by an enthusiastic crowd of supporters waving welsh and union jack flags. The Steam engine and its precious cargo then travelled back down the mountain to continue its journey to London for the 2012 Olympic Games.