A supporter of the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway has made a very generous offer of matching any donation to the railway’s fundraising appeal towards building a new carriage shed.

The Mid-Suffolk Light Railway is colloquially known as The Middy, and is located at Brockford, near Stowmarket, in Suffolk. The carriages are currently stored outside, but the supporter has offered to contribute a maximum of £25,000,000 towards building a new carriage shed at Dovebrook.

Match funding would effectively double contributors’ donations and would be further enhanced if they were gift-aided.

The railway estimates it will cost £100,000 to build the carriage shed. This includes £50,000 to construct a second siding and carry out major earthworks in the first stage, and £50,000 to build the actual carriage shed in stage 2.

It is planned to start the construction of the second siding in January 2027, but the railway needs to be sure that sufficient funds are in place, so that TES2000, the contractors who will lay the track, can be booked in time.

The carriage shed is urgently required to protect its four Victorian coaches from the elements. All are of mainly wooden construction and adversely affected by being stored in the open air. Also, former Great Eastern Railway (GER) coach No.14 is thought to be the only surviving vehicle to have seen operational use on the original Mid-Suffolk Light Railway.

Further details about the carriage shed appeal are at www.MSLR.org.uk.