Severn Valley SOSappeal hits £ 1millionafter lotterychips in
A£ 250,000NationalLotteryHeritage Fundgrant to helptheSevernValley Railway ( SVR) survivetheCovid- 19 lockdownandrun its reopeningservices onAugust 1- 16 hasboostedthe line’s emergencyappeal tomorethan £ 1million.
Since the lockdown began in March, the railway has been mothballed, with the majority of its paid staff on furlough.
As a result, it was unable to generate anypassenger revenue throughout this time, and could face a loss of up to £ 6 million this year.
As reported in issue 266, the SVR said it needed £ 250,000 to survive for three months.
However, supporters and the general public rallied round, and nowservices have resumed following a succesful series of test trains in July.
General manager Helen Smith said:“Thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund ( NLHF) and its players we can nowget the SVR through the next fewmonths.
“Wewill use this funding to pay our staff as they come back from furlough to prepare the railway for reopening.
“Wewill also invest in new IT so more staff can work remotely. These measures will ensurewe can start to generate some much- needed passenger revenue to offset the potential losses we are facing.
“We are especially grateful the NLHF has granted us the maximum amount possible under this emergency scheme. This funding is additional to more than £ 750,000 we’ve raised through our own fundraisingappeal – the Fight Back Fund – thanks to generous donations from the public, along with purchases of SVR shares.”
This new funding was awarded through the NLHF’s Heritage
Emergency Fund, inwhich £ 50million has been made available to the heritage sector.
NLHF chief executiveRos Kerslake said:“Heritage has an essential role to play inmaking communities better places to live, supporting economic regeneration and benefiting our personal well- being.
“All of these things aregoing to be even more important aswe emerge from this current crisis.”
In late July, the railway released details of its August 1- 16 comeback services.
Operations
Threereturn trains will runeachday as follows:‘ TheFlyer’, 10.15am- 4.10pm– Kidderminster toTheEngineHouseat HighleyandBridgnorth;‘ TheExplorer’, 10.45am- 5.10pm– Kidderminster to Bridgnorth, withanoptionalexcursion to TheEngineHouse; and‘ TheAdventurer’, 10.45am- 4.48pm– Bridgnorth toBewdley or KidderminsterandTheEngineHouse.
Eachjourneyhas itsownset itinerary, so the railway cansafelymanagenumbersat eachstationandinsideTheEngineHouse. Passengersmusttravelonset services at specific timesandstart theirdayonly at Kidderminster or Bridgnorth, andthe timingsareset to accommodate theonewaysocialdistancing systemin place.
Currently, only tickets for compartments arebeing sold, and should be bought inadvance.
A fixed number of tickets are available for each train, but it cannot be guaranteed anywill be left for sale on the day. Thepre- booked compartments can accommodate amaximum of six people, and each will be reserved for the ticket holders’ exclusiveuse all day.
Pre- booked, the compartment is
£ 75 for up to six people ( SVR members £ 67.50), and bought on the day, at £ 80 per compartment (£ 72.50 members), with no extra charge for dogs. Freshly prepared food boxes can be booked and collected fromstarting stations.
Passengers are asked to bring their own facemasks or coverings to wear in enclosed public areas and train corridors, and hand sanitisers areprovided in compartments. Contactless cardpayment only will apply in all catering, bars and retail outlets.
➜ Tickets fortravelontheSevernValley Railway arenowonsale at: www. svr. co. uk or telephone01562757900.
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