£238,000 grant awarded to Stockton and Darlington Railway

Picture of Janine Booth

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£238,000 grant awarded to Stockton and Darlington Railway

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Picture of Janine Booth

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Locomotion No1 Replica in Steam - Lonely Tower Film & Media
Locomotion No1 Replica in Steam // Credit: Lonely Tower Film & Media

In its two hundredth year, the has won Lottery funding to help secure its future.

The National Lottery awarded the grant of £238,000 to the Friends of the & Railway. The money will enable the Friends will to build on the bicentenary celebrations.

Three local authorities – Durham County Council, Darlington Borough Council and Stockton Borough Council – will support the Railway’s work in maintaining the 26-mile-long heritage site.

The Stockton & Darlington Railway was the site of the first locomotive-hauled passenger train journey, in 1875. Steam train Locomotion no.1 carried more than four hundred passengers a distance of 26 miles. This year, celebrations are taking place all over the country and beyond to mark this historic event.

Locomotion No1 (The first Steam Loco on the SDR line) at Locomotion Shildon (002)
Locomotion No1 at Locomotion Shildon (002) // Credit: The Dawn of the Stockton & Darlington Railway.

Over the last decade, volunteers have been working hard to maintain the Stockton & Darlington line and to compile research about its historical importance.

The Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway plan to spend the grant money on:

  • commissioning a conservation management plan: this will help to conserve unique heritage features, protect wildlife habitats and ensure access to sites along the line
  • developing a business and fundraising plan to ensure the Charity’s work in the long term
  • recruiting and supporting the volunteers who look after the line
  • recruiting of dedicated business development officer to support volunteers and staff, helping to develop the charity’s capacity for taking on guardianship of the line.

“We are delighted by the support of the Heritage Fund and our good friends and partners at Durham, Darlington and Stockton Councils together with Historic England, which will allow us to build on a decade of voluntary and professional work.

“The internationally significant heritage of the S&DR is something the people of North-East England are immensely proud of, and with this grant we can develop a fantastic partnership of volunteers, community and professionals to both safeguard its future and provide socio-economic and education benefits.”

Niall Hammond, Chair of the Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway

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