Now’s the time we need you like never before
SCIENCE fiction writers aside, nobody would have predicted 18 months or more ago that we would be celebrating 70 years of the world’s volunteer-led operational heritage railway sector in circumstances akin to a medieval plague.
A ray of light at the end of by far the longest tunnel in those seven decades has been the acknowledgement from the powers-that-be of the immense value of heritage railways to the nation’s local and tourist economies. That fact is manifested in the £8 million in grant aid bestowed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport to more than 60 lines, museums or other venues in England with a significant railway presence.
You might well look at the table of grant awards on page 9 of Headline News and think “Wow! They’re in the money!” However, nothing is further from the truth.
The grants are intended to cover each venue’s operating costs and overheads from now until the end of June, in the absence of sufficient revenue resulting from last year’s lockdown periods, and must be spent by then. They are not megabucks lottery wins or windfall – but lifelines plain and simple.
Without them, there are lines that probably might not see the summer through – that is, if they even got started in the first place – and what a blow that would be to the local economies that have come to rely on income from their visitors.
As it stands, there will be no money left over from these grants in three months’ time, and unless another round of awards comes along, the railways will have to return to funding their activities under their own steam.
So don’t for a minute be fooled by the illusion of riches: by contrast, every tenner you might be able to donate to your chosen railway’s SOS appeal will be worth its weight in gold – several times over. The same is true for offers of volunteer labour.
We might well be in a clearing for the next three months, but we are a long way from being out of the forest, especially with reports of a worsening third pandemic wave from the other side of the Channel.
Again, I implore readers to give their full support to renewed attempts by the Llangollen Railway Trust to take over the survival effort for this superbly-scenic line. Yes, the root problems which caused it to go into administration appear to have preceded the pandemic, but those who are battling to save the line now face a double mountain to climb, with round-theclock efforts largely unseen by the general public.
As supporters of the movement as a whole, we must not stand back and allow half a century of sheer graft – largely by unpaid volunteers – to be thrown away if we can do anything, no matter how small, to help the rescue package.
The conditions in which the heritage movement now operates are changing on a daily basis. However, at Heritage Railway, we pride ourselves on bringing you the latest news of the complete sector, and there has never been a time in its history that this service is surely as vital.
On pages 30-31, see how you can take advantage of our latest subscription offers. Alternatively, if you prefer to buy just one issue at a time and do not want to visit the shops, order the next one to be delivered to your door by telephoning our customer services team on 01507 529529 or online at mrtns.uk/pre-order-hr Unlike an annual subscription, there is no minimum commitment. Ensure that you do not miss out on essential news while staying safe at home.
I hope to see you all when that first train rolls into the new Corwen station.