£1m boost to keep vintage steam railway on track
THE Severn Valley Railway has been given a £1 million lifeline from the Government to help it survive the pandemic.
The Worcestershire steam train attraction has been given the grant from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund as it continues to battle financial problems caused by Covid-19. The money will go towards wages and running costs.
When it reopened after lockdown in August 2020 the railway had been losing around £500,000 a month because of the pandemic.
Its fundraising campaign last year raised £930,000, but this Government
grant will secure its immediate future.
Severn Valley Railway runs steam trains between Kidderminster and Shropshire and is one of 140 organisations to benefit from the Culture Recovery Fund’s £15.5 million.
Salaries and running costs from October 2021 to January 31, 2022 will be paid for using the grant.
Severn Valley Railway (SVR) chairman Mike Ball said the money would make a “huge difference” to the rail attraction. “We are delighted to receive a grant of this significance.
‘‘It is an acknowledgement of the importance of the Severn Valley Railway
as one of the largest heritage railways in the country and one of the region’s leading tourist attractions,” he said.
“The funding will make a huge difference to our recovery and will allow us to plan positively for 2022.
The SVR’s managing director, Helen Smith, said the pandemic had been a big threat to its existence.
“The last 20 months have been some of the most difficult in the railway’s history,” she said.
“We have suffered huge losses. Without the support we have received from the Cultural Recovery Fund, we may not have survived.”