'Exceeding expectations': Severn Valley Railway celebrates £73,000 fundraising milestone

The Severn Valley Railway says it’s delighted with the support it has received for the SVR Resilience Fund, launched earlier this year in May.

So far, it’s received donations totalling £73,000, as it seeks widespread support to meet its ongoing costs.

"The response from the public to our appeal really has exceeded our expectations," said the SVR’s managing director, Jonathan ‘Gus’ Dunster.

"We’re hugely grateful to everyone who’s responded, and it’s heartening to see that they clearly understand the sheer expense of running a heritage railway like the Severn Valley.

"We want to keep highlighting how much we’ll need ongoing support. The SVR requires a steady stream of funding, and will need it for some time. This isn’t about making a big splash or hitting a target. It’s about bolstering our resilience for the long haul."

The SVR Resilience Fund is being led by the Severn Valley Railway Company Limited. This organisation is volunteer-run and separate from SVR (Holdings) Plc, which operates the heritage line. SVR Company chair Diane Malyon paid tribute to the railway’s volunteers for the work they’re doing to promote the appeal:

"We’ve seen so much engagement from our volunteers in terms of highlighting the appeal to our visitors at every opportunity. Our travelling ticket inspectors, for example, are distributing and collecting donation envelopes on the trains. And in our shops and cafes, there are collection pots for spare change, and people can make card donations at the tills.

"Every little bit helps, and it’s important that we never miss an opportunity to explain why we need this ongoing support. Did you know we need £500 for coal each time we run a return steam-hauled service along the line? Or, that it costs £400 for the 24 litres of specialist paint and varnish that we use for a locomotive repaint?

‘We’re receiving superb backing from our regular supporter base of members and shareholders, who already know that ticket sales simply can’t pay the full costs of running a heritage line. But we’re also appealing to people who are perhaps visiting us for the first time, and we’re making a concerted effort to explain the costs to them in our leaflets and on our website.’

The Severn Valley Railway has been operating public services for almost 55 years, and in 2025, it will celebrate 60 years since the pioneering founders came together to preserve the line and save it from obscurity.

Make a donation at svr.co.uk.