Paul Fathers

Paul Fathers was born in June 1954 and is a volunteer and one of the SVR's former Chairmen.

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Officerships on the SVR

  • He was a member of the SVR(H) Board until 30 June 1995 and between 1997 and 2003. He was appointed Chairman 1999-2002.
  • He was Director of the then-SVR Rolling Stock Trust between 2001 and 2012. He became a Trustee of Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust Ltd in April 2019. Following the departure of executive director Shelagh Paterson in November 2022 he stepped in on a part-time interim basis.[1]

Paul was a Director between 2007-2008 and 2009-2020 of The Ironbridge Railway Trust, which is independent from the SVR. Its charitable objects include to develop, construct, preserve, operate the railway between Buildwas and Bridgnorth via Ironbridge, connecting to the existing Severn Valley Railway.[2]

Other notable involvement

Paul was the Project Manager and fundraiser for the Kidderminster Carriage Shed which was completed in 2000. He completed two successful applications for Heritage Lottery funding for both the carriage shed and The Engine House at Highley, purchasing the land for the latter at auction on behalf of the SVR.

In December 2010 he was a leading proponent of an attempt to build a two-road shed for the storage of up to 50 wagons on the course of the trackbed of the Stourport Branch. This failed when the HLF turned down an application for funding.[3]

He was a member of the Bewdley Turntable Fund’s Committee that was instrumental in purchasing and installing the turntable at Kidderminster.

He has been a driver on the SVR since 1977 and on 13 April 2015 he drove 7812 Erlestoke Manor on a special train to celebrate 50 years of the SVR.

He became Chairman of The Erlestoke Manor Fund in October 2018 and in 2021 was a trustee of The GWR 813 Preservation Fund. As of 2021 he is Secretary of the Bridgnorth Turntable Fund, responsible for purchasing the ex-Bristol, Bath Road turntable. As of 2024 he is a trustee of The 4566 Preservation Group Charitable incorporated organisation.

See also

References

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