Volunteers have transformed a derelict railway ticket office after six years of painstaking work.

For more than a decade, the Victorian building at Cheltenham's Racecourse Station lay empty and neglected.

The office - thought to be the last of its kind in the country - was vandalised and even set on fire.

But now the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway group has repaired and renovated it just in time for the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Period features

Work is also under way to finish the platform and waiting room to enable the station to open for the busiest weekend of the year.

The ticket office is thought to be the last remaining prefabricated building constructed at the Great Western Railway's works in Swindon.

Its period features have been restored, while other aspects of the station have been updated.

Paul Collis has been working on the project for six years. He said: "The basic building structure is virtually untouched.

Restoration work

"Although the roof timbers were damaged in the fire they are still the originals as the charring was only very shallow, so they are sound."

John Balderstone, a retired structural engineer, has been kept busy by the restoration work.

He said: "I've been in construction all my life and I thoroughly enjoy the sense of achievement you get completing a project.

"I like the idea of leaving a monument behind after you've gone."