Moors launches £50,000 winter appeal
DONORS TO the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s latest £50,000 fundraising appeal will be entered into a competition to win a year’s free travel on the line.
The appeal has been launched to help the railway cover its costs during the winter off-season, ahead of the resumption of services in 2024. NYMR director of fundraising, Julia Clark, said: “We took a huge financial hit during COVID-19 and since then, with running costs continuing to soar, the railway has struggled to recover.”
The NYMR’s director of mechanical engineering, Paul ‘Piglet’ Middleton, added: “Running a railway like this is challenging in terms of the costs involved and the skills required. For example, vital running costs cover the three tonnes of coal per day each locomotive requires, and most tender engines have 12 brake blocks which have to be changed every other month, not to mention the job of re-profiling a locomotive’s tyres to ensure the train runs safely. These are all highly costly and that’s before all the funding needed to train and equip our drivers, firemen, cleaners, fitters and the rest of the team.”
People donating £25 or more will have their names featured on the new NYMR station artwork; a £120 donation will sponsor an NYMR apprentice and win a personal letter of thanks and quarterly updates from the team; a £500 donation will secure two tickets to an exclusive event hosted by ‘Piglet’ plus a chat with him.
● For more information and to donate, visit: www.nymr.co.uk/pages/category/ piglets-journey