Emergency Appeals during Lockdown

It might have gone straight into their 'deleted messages' folder with a title like that. I've had several junk e-mails from scammers promising miracle cures for this vile illness and I've blocked them.

According to their web-site, you can send a cheque.

 

Hi, I've made the team aware and they should be in touch shortly.

 

Details on how to make donations to the Cholsey & Wallingford are here.

https://www.cholsey-wallingford-railway.com/

 

Donation made... Good luck all

 

Just noticed the North Norfolk Railway's appeal (separate from the M&GNJRS general appeal) is missing from the list in post 1. Hope they don't mind me posting the link here...https://shop.nnrailway.co.uk/

 

the general public might be more amenable to getting a return for a donation. How about an open ended ticket with no expiry date to be used on a normal traffic day?

 

Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust:

https://www.sdrt.org/Appeal-For-The-Future-Of-The-Trust.Html

 

Historic England have announced their own Emergency Response Fund to the Covid-19 crisis, to run alongside the NLHF one I posted about last week. Grants of up to £25k to help with cashflow difficulties arising as a result of the Coronavirus.

See https://historicengland.org.uk/coronavirus/fund/

These are very worrying times for the heritage sector. The Arts Council are predicting 70% of cultural businesses will fail by October. In the context of heritage railways, I think even if lockdown restrictions are relaxed by the summer, visitors will stay away from places where they will come into close contact with others, like railway carriages. How many railways will survive if they have to remain closed for all of 2020?

 

The other side of that is that, once lockdown and restrictions end, there will still be a desire to undertake leisure activities. I'm less pessimistic about a rebound in demand this summer, but even if I'm wrong, I think there's a danger of confusing organisations and what they represent.

The assets - venues, performers, equipment - will often both still exist and be most useful doing what it was originally for. I won't therefore be surprised to see some companies go under, but emerge lazarus like in recreated form.

 

Without doubt many of the WIBN ideas will hopefully fade into obscurity and many of those far too ambitious projects will go on the back burner - some never to be achieved. There are one or two lines that do need a serious change of direction and hopefully fewer of them will keep lawyers in champagne and fruit flavoured gin.
The smaller lines could well be those to survive more easily as their workforce is mostly volunteer (unpaid) and their infrastructure more easily mothballed for a few months.
One thing is certain that in a few months time I would expect a radical change for many places and attractions in the heritage and leisure field: some to have gone or changed to a greater or lesser degree.

 

Good Morning, for those of you that annually enjoy the sight of industrial engines at the Foxfield Railway working hard up the steepest adhesion worked gradient in the country! Please donate to the Foxfield Railway Covid-19 Appeal!

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/FoxfieldCovid-19

 

Hope Llangollen survives its a lovely railway, perhaps, with SVR, NYMR, ELR, KWVR my top 5. Seems those overstretch with extensions many paid staff and public services find they are out of depth with finances. What a calamity year for everything!
Perhaps this years appeals need formal financial business planning, there may be pointless fundraisers that simply swallow money and yet are unsustainable, and take it from more manageable crises. For example, Llangollen, one of my favourites, but would it be better to be sold and restructured if it is saddled by a mountain of debt. So before Yorkshire hand goes in pocket, we need a lot more credence than "we urgently need your money"

 

I've had a quick look through the various appeal pages using the first post on this thread and social media to put together a spreadsheet with headline appeal totals. A PDF is attached (I can't upload excel). I suspect in some cases this may be only part of the fundraising (e.g. online donations but not share purchases) and certainly they won't be like-for-like, but you might find it of interest.

Patrick

 

very interesting, thanks

Gwili have raised 10k so far, initial target of 15k although like many appeals may be revised depending on duration of non-operations

regards

Matt

 

The concern I have is when the government decide to stop paying the wages etc. If railways get to reopen this year, there’s no idea yet when or how long they will then have to bank some needed cash. As most railways run to a tight budget once this year is over how many will have enough to pay for wages etc and any emergency repairs etc. My railway, the GWSR with minimal staffing would have been better than most, that is until the land slip last November required several hundred thousand pounds spent. It’s going to be this winter when things get tough. How many people are going to want to sit in close proximity in a CIA h. Will this have changed people’s thinking long term?

 

Very interesting. Personally, if I was in better financial position, I'd rather support a line (or two) with a smaller or no target that one aiming high. Nobody knows how long this will pan out for, and therefore what the overall cost will be. Small donations, little and often would be my preferred approach.

 

Very interesting. I believe the SVR have revised their target upwards to £4,500,000 so they have some way to go.

Something that hasn't been mentioned is loco owners. I'm a shareholder/supporter of Southern Locomotives, they too have started an appeal, I think only to existing shareholders, saying that while at the moment things are OK (no major outgoings) once things start to operate again will lines like Swanage be able to pay hire fees, no probably not, will they still need to use 34053, 34072, 80104 and possibly 34028, yes they will.

Viscous circle....

Andrew