Dean Forest Railway Emergency Fund reaches half-way mark in fight to save the railway!

Launched a little over five weeks ago, the Dean Forest Railway Society (a registered charity) is delighted to announce that its Emergency Fund has now reached the half-way mark, with just over £25,000 raised through generous donations from members, supporters and friends, against the target of £50,000. The charity is appealing for donations to help cover the Railways fixed costs during the current lockdown, whilst it is unable to operate. Dean Forest Railway Society Chair of Trustees, Alastair Clarke, said “This couldn’t have come at a worse time for the railway. We’d just completed our winter maintenance programme, which is an expensive time of year, and were looking forward to lots of passengers joining us this season as we celebrate the railway’s 50th anniversary, bringing with them fare income! Instead, the railway is, necessarily, closed to the public and our volunteers, and our income is zero, but unfortunately the overheads of a four and a quarter mile long heritage railway do not stop when the trains do. We want to ensure that we are still here to allow our visitors to experience the age of steam in the Forest for many years to come. We’d like to thank all who have contributed so far to our appeal for their generosity – the response has been exceptional - and would encourage anyone who cares about the future of our railway to make whatever contribution they can”.

Society Treasurer, Tim McLennan, continues “The railway has been developed over the last 50 years by a small band of dedicated volunteers, who have spent countless hours laying track, restoring locomotives and rolling stock, operating trains and many other tasks. Their hard work is at risk of being lost to future generations by the unprecedented circumstances in which the world finds itself, and we would all be heartbroken if the Forest was to loose one of its major tourist attractions in this way, particularly in our anniversary year. Even the price of a pint or takeaway coffee would help towards our appeal’s total, and would be very much appreciated. We look forward to seeing our supporters back on the railway as soon as it is safe to do so!”

The Society has published these options for donations: -

• Visit the Society website: www.dfrsociety.org.uk/dfrs-emergency-fund

• Visit our JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/dfrs-emergency-fund

• Text DFRS to 70191 to donate £10*

* Fundraising, payments and donations will be processed and administered by the National Funding Scheme, operating as DONATE, a charity registered in England and Wales (1149800) and Scotland (SC045106). In addition to any text donation, you will incur your standard network message charge (based on your service provider rates). For Terms & Conditions, see www.easydonate.org