£1.8 million heritage lifeline
Quintet of heritage railway organisations benefit from third round of Culture Recovery Fund.
FIVE English heritage railways have been handed a lifeline after they were awarded grants in the latest round of the Culture Recovery Fund. A total of £1,852,200 will be given to the Severn Valley (SVR), Ecclesbourne Valley, Churnet Valley, Stainmore and Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch railways.
In mid-December, nearly 140 heritage organisations in England benefited from £16.5 million thanks to the Government’s third round of the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage. It is part of the additional £300 million announced by the chancellor at the March 2021 Budget.
A total of £138 million has been awarded to heritage organisations from the three rounds of the £2 billion Culture Recovery Fund support package made available for arts, culture and heritage organisations during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage is administered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, in partnership with Historic England on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
Award details
The SVR has received a grant of £1,012,900, which will fund salaries and running costs from October 1, 2021 to January 31, 2022, to help the organisation recover from the financial impact and loss of income caused by the Covid-19 crisis.
SVR (Holdings) chairman Mike Ball said: “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.
“The funding will make a huge difference to our recovery, and will allow us to plan positively for 2022, retaining our vital heritage railway skills and supporting our operational programme as we work towards running normally and sustainably from April.”
SVR’s managing director Helen Smith said: “The last 20 months have been some of the most difficult in the railway’s history. We have suffered huge losses. Without the support we have received from the Culture Recovery Fund, we may not have survived.”
The award of £81,900 to WyvernRail will help the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway (EVR) continue to bounce back from coronavirus closures through the tough winter months. The Derbyshire line said the restrictions left the railway without vital income during the busy early summer period, which has depleted cash reserves going into winter.
The railway has been successfully operating diesel trains once again at weekends and some weekdays since July 25, 2021 using a format where families of up to six passengers can book a private compartment on board the train and naturally socially distance themselves from other visitors.
However, during the colder months, the railway has hired in a steam locomotive to provide steam heating to enable the operating season to continue – which the EVR said comes at a premium cost over the use of heritage diesels. In addition, the restored carriages require upgrades to their battery and lighting systems to cater for more regular operation in the winter months.
Michael Evans, managing director WyvernRail, said:
“This funding will significantly help the railway continue throughout the winter. It has been a very difficult year and there has been continual concern of how we could manage so that we are strong for the start of the 2022 season. I am grateful to our volunteers who have continued to operate the railway at this challenging time.”
Covid losses
The Churnet Valley Railway said it will use its £99,600 grant to fund salaries and running costs from October 1, 2021 to January 31, 2022, and to help the organisation recover from the financial impact and loss of income caused by the Covid-19 crisis.
“The funding will make a huge difference to our recovery, and will allow us to plan positively for 2022,” a spokesperson for the line said.
The Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway received £641,800. The 15in Kent line said the money will help support its winter projects.
Kirkby Stephen East-based Stainmore Railway Company Limited has been awarded a grant of £16,000, but no one was available to comment after a request by The RM.