The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Trust has announced that they have passed its appeal target of £250,000 to help the railway pay for huge repair bills following an embankment landslip.
As of 31st May 2020, the total raised stands at £255,000.
The steam railway suffered a double blow, first, the embankment landslip which needed urgent and costly repair work, and then the cancellation of train services due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Glyn Cornish, GWRT Chairman, said: “£250,000 was the expected cash shortfall the railway would face in paying for the embankment repairs, so we set our sights high, hoping to raise a substantial part of that sum. To have reached the full amount in just ten weeks and at a time when so many people are facing their own difficulties; and when there are so many appeals for help, is just astonishing.
Glyn Cornish added. “I know that all of the volunteers on our railway are deeply grateful for every penny contributed. More than 1,300 people have made contributions, and from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank everyone who has helped meet our target. Whether £5 or £5,000, there is no doubt that it has secured the future of our wonderful railway. Contributors can be assured that every penny raised has gone into the landslip repair. It very humbling to know that our railway is so well-loved by so many people.”
Now that the target has been met, the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway has closed the appeal. However, if supporters still want to help the GWSR, they can do so via the website and the money will go into funding other projects.
Glyn Cornish points out: “The embankment is well over 100 years old, and while we can't say for certain that something like this won't happen again, we know we can effectively repair such embankment slips, and we are working continuously on improving drainage to avoid such future occurrences. But what we couldn't possibly foresee was that Coronavirus would close this and every other British heritage railway, cutting off its income and thus its ability to meet big bills like this.”
Alongside this announcement, the railway has also announced that it will be closed until the end of August due to the current coronavirus situation.
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Excellent work Gloucestershire-Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR).
Well Done to the Gloucestershire-Warwickshire Railway on once again Successfully Fundraising this huge amount to cover up costs,
Especially in it’s role of fighting back/combat Coivd-19 in-between.
I always knew the GWSR (in the Colorful Cotswolds) would once again succeed in it’s latest appeal, Even when it comes to repairs and aimful goals in-between.
Still hope to visit the GWSR ‘in-person’ someday, For A Train Ride up and down the line through the Cotswold Countryside, let alone check out the GWSR in-between.