The Gresley Society Trust has announced that it is to receive a “significant” grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to help fund its year of celebrations to mark next year’s 150th anniversary of Sir Nigel Gresley’s birth.

The Doncaster-based Trust will use the grant to pay for and deliver a programme of celebratory events, which will have the strapline “A Legacy of Innovation, Speed and Elegance”. The Trust will organise the celebrations in partnership with Doncaster City Council and other railway heritage organisations.

It describes Gresley as a “visionary” railway engineer, and points out that his designs include the well-known steam locomotives Flying Scotsman, Cock o’ the North and Mallard.

Elements of the programme of celebrations which will benefit from the grant funding include:

• digitising the Trust’s extensive archive, to enable better access for the public
• production of a short film telling the story of Gresley’s life and achievements
• a new permanent exhibition at Doncaster’s Danum Gallery.

The Trust is also trying to find a recording of Sir Nigel’s voice.

On Saturday 20 June 2026 (the day after the exact anniversary of Gresley’s birth in Edinburgh), the Trust will host what it calls the “centrepiece” of its celebrations. The Symposium and Gala Dinner will take place at the Mansion House in Doncaster.

The symposium will take place during the day and will feature presentations about Gresley’s career. These will cover aspects including Gresley’s early days with the Great Northern Railway (where he worked from 1905) and his influence on the modern railway.

The symposium will be followed by an evening gala dinner with a 1930s theme. The event will be designed to evoke the glamour of LNER’s express trains, and will feature menus inspired by ‘The Flying Scotsman’, ‘The Silver Jubilee’, and ‘The Coronation’.

Tickets for the symposium are priced at £25 (for Trust members) and £30 (for non-members). Tickets for the gala dinner cost £75 (members) and £85 (non-members). Limited spaces will be available.

Other highlights of the year’s programme of events include:

• Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 February: a Gresley theme to the Festival of British Railway Modelling at Doncaster Racecourse
• Saturday 11 April 2026: special Thanksgiving Service and Talk at St. Peter’s Church, Netherseal, Derbyshire, which will be held close to the 85th anniversary of Gresley’s death and burial at St. Peter’s Church on 9 April 1941
• a commemorative logo for use by partner organisations.

The Trust also looks after the oldest surviving Gresley locomotive, class N2 No. 1744. The loco is currently being overhauled at the North Norfolk Railway. It also looks after the Gresley Buffet Lounge Car No. 1852, which is the sole surviving vehicle from the 1938 Flying Scotsman train. The Trust plans to apply for a further Heritage Fund grant to help maintain these important vehicles.

“The Heritage Fund’s generous support is a tremendous endorsement of Sir Nigel Gresley’s enduring legacy. His pioneering work revolutionised rail travel with innovation, speed and elegance, and this grant ensures our celebrations will inspire new generations. We are profoundly grateful and look forward to sharing his story through accessible, engaging initiatives.”

Philip Benham, Chair of The Gresley Society Trust