The Churnet Valley Railway's supporting charity - THE NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE RAILWAY COMPANY (1978) LTD - is currently running an appeal to pay for the purchase and transport of three Mark 1 Coaches which are to be restored for use on the expansion of services to Leek.
The NSRC have purchase TSO nos. E3809 and S4046 alongside SO no. M4366 at a total cost of £17,000. An internal appeal raised the first £7,000 and since going public with the appeal further donations have come in to take the total above £11,000.
The two companies acknowledge this is a difficult time for many, making the achievement even more wonderful given the circumstances. The three coaches were bought before the global pandemic took hold, and whilst the railway is currently in shutdown the bills for these still need to be paid despite the line’s main income stream currently being shut off.
Having flown past the halfway mark, and raised over 65% of the target, the appeal remains open to those wishing to help. Donations of all sizes are welcome, with some people donating the price of pint while others have donated the cost of a day out to the CVR. Donations have been received in memory of loved ones who have some form of association with Leek and/or the railway, whilst others have just wanted to help “their” railway in one way or another. Whatever the support, whatever the reason, it is all welcomed and appreciated by the hard-working volunteers of the Churnet Valley Railway.
The Churnet Valley Railway has long hoped to return trains to the Moorlands largest market town and, having received an 80% grant from the European Agriculture Rural Development Fund, efforts are now concentrating on ensuring contracts and necessary legal paperwork is all in place so that a start can be made as soon as the current restrictions on movement are lifted. With many people asking how can they help, the Coach Appeal is one such way to so for now; with further schemes and appeals to be announced later in the year that will allow supporters of the line to get as actively involved as they wish with Reconnecting Leek.
If you wish to support the appeal, then the NSRC has set up a Total Giving page that allows you to donate towards these coaches.
https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/appeal/cvr_coaches
#ReconnectLeek