Difference between revisions of "Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust Ltd"

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==Support==
 
==Support==
*The Charitable Trust funds most of the costs of the SVR’s [[Heritage Skills Training Academy]] and team of apprentices. It costs £21,000 to fund an apprentice for one year, and the Trust funded £165,125 in 2017 (2016: £35,000).<ref>[http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Accounts/Ends23/0001092723_AC_20170630_E_C.PDF SVR Charitable Trust Report and Financial Statements 30 June 2017]</ref>
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The Trust supports a variety of projects including rolling stock, infrastructure, permanent way, diesel, Bridgnorth development, education and access.
  
===Previous support===
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Major projects include:
*It secured an HLF grant of £95,000 towards the restoration of [[GWR 4930 Hagley Hall | 4930 Hagley Hall]].
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*The Trust has worked closely with volunteers from the [[The LNER Carriage Group | LNER Carriage Group]] to raise funds for and in conjunction with Carriage & Wagon to complete the final restoration work on three Gresley teak carriages ([[LNER 7960 Kitchen Composite|Kitchen Composite 7960]], [[LNER 24506 Brake Third|Brake Third 24506]] and [[LNER 52255 Open Third|Open Third 52255]].) These were splendidly showcased when Flying Scotsman visited the SVR in September 2016.
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*The Charitable Trust funds most of the costs of the SVR’s [[Heritage Skills Training Academy]] and team of apprentices. It costs £21,000 to fund an apprentice for one year, and the Trust funded £98,457 in 2019.
*It contributed £30,000 to the annual track re-laying work that took place in 2016 between Eardington and Bridgnorth.
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*It secured an HLF grant of £95,000 and contributed over £500,000 to the overhaul of [[GWR 4930 Hagley Hall | 4930 Hagley Hall]]
*The Trust has been instrumental in funding the stonework restoration on [[Sandbourne Viaduct]] with £60,000 contributed in 2017
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*At [[Falling Sands Viaduct]] it raised £1.25m for major repairs, completed in 2021.
*In January 2018 it raised £13,000 by appeal to repair [[Severn_Valley_Railway_Timeline_2010-2019#2017 | damage caused by vandals]] to two coaches.
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*Applications for the [[2020 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic|Fight Back Fund]] for which the SVR received £250,000 grant from The [[:Category:Lottery funding#National_Lottery_Heritage_Fund|National Lottery Heritage Emergency Fund]] and  £906,000 from the Culture Recovery Fund.<ref>[https://www.shropshirestar.com/entertainment/attractions/2020/07/15/severn-valley-railway-receives-250000-funding-boost-ahead-of-reopening/ Smith, R., 'Severn Valley Railway receives £250,000 funding boost ahead of reopening', Shropshire Star, 15 July 2020] (Retrieved 15 July 2020)</ref><ref>[https://www.gov.uk/government/news/445-heritage-organisations-saved-by-103-million-investment-from-government Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport] (Retrieved 9 October 2020)</ref>
*A rolling stock fundraising and restoration project for [[GWR 17410 'Toad' 20T Goods Brake Van | GWR Toad van 17410]] took place in collaboration with the [[The LNER Carriage Group | LNER Carriage Group]] and raised around £10,000
 
*The Trust funded the overhaul of [[GWR 9615 Kitchen Diner First]] from 2018.<ref>[https://svrtrust.org.uk/downloads/Platform%202018%20web%20version-1.pdf 'Platform' magazine, 2018 Issue 4, p.6]</ref>
 
*It contributed to the track re-laying work that took place in 2018 at [[Accommodation bridge near Severn Lodge#County_Boundary_landslip|County Boundary]]
 
*It supported the reinstating of the [[Eardington#The_platform|Eardington Station platform]] in January 2018
 
*In 2019 it hit its £397,000 target for its [[Falling Sands Viaduct]] appeal and was awarded a further £853,800 grant from The [[:Category:Lottery funding#National_Lottery_Heritage_Fund|National Lottery Heritage Fund]], following an initial £71,800 in 2017 to develop its bid.
 
*In 2019 a £10,000 grant from the Postcode Lottery funded covered outdoor seating and an enlarged Anderson shelter at [[The Engine House]]<ref>[https://www.svrlive.com/epapril19 Express Points April 2019]</ref>.
 
*In October 2017 the Trust announced it was establishing an [[The Engine House#Commemorative_Garden|In Memory Garden]] for SVR supporters, close to [[The Engine House]].
 
  
 
==Fundraising==
 
==Fundraising==

Revision as of 11:42, 13 March 2021

Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust Ltd is a Registered Charity, Number 1092723, for the purpose of raising funds to support the SVRSevern Valley Railway. It is commonly referred to on the SVRSevern Valley Railway as "the Charitable Trust". Its objectives are to help fund restoration and maintenance projects, to help arrest the decline of heritage engineering skills and to safeguard the long-term future and operational capability of the Railway.

Origins and Objects

The SVRSevern Valley Railway Rolling Stock Trust Company Limited was incorporated on 17 December 2001 as a private company limited by guarantee, company number 04341280. As a charitable body, its Objects were:[1]

"To advance education for the benefit of the public by:

  • the acquisition, restoration, preservation, operation maintenance and display of heritage railway locomotives, coaches, wagons and artefacts
  • the provision of facilities for the education, training and certification of trainees in the practicalities, techniques and methods used in the restoration, repair and operation of historic railways"

On 29 June 2012 the Trust took on a wider remit as the SVRSevern Valley Railway's general charitable trust, for which purpose it adopted its present name.[2] The current (2019) Articles of Association state that:[3]

"The Charity’s Objects are specifically restricted to the following:

  • to advance education for the benefit of the public by the acquisition, restoration, preservation and operation of heritage railway locomotives, carriages, wagons, station buildings, track and other associated infrastructure
  • establishing buildings to house and preserve the Charity’s rolling stock collection
  • the provision of educational and interpretive displays for the travelling public and
  • the provision of education and skills training used in the restoration, repair and operation of historic railways to ensure their long term survival"

The Charitable Trust was the SVRSevern Valley Railway's 'owner of last resort', "...ensuring that various locomotives, coaches and wagons that have been lovingly restored over many years by SVRSevern Valley Railway volunteers can remain at the Railway, in perpetuity. As the members of the many preservation groups inevitably age and their numbers dwindle, items of rolling stock can be donated to the Charitable Trust, in order to be absolutely certain they will remain at the Railway for the long-term."[4]

The Trust is a member of the Heritage Trust Network, an umbrella organisation for built heritage preservation groups and individuals formed in 2016 from the Association of Preservation Trusts (UK-APT). Members work to restore built heritage and bring historic buildings back into community use.[5]

Shareholding in SVRSevern Valley Railway(H)

The Trust is a shareholder in SVR(H) by way of donated or bequeathed shares. In the 2012 Share Offer existing shareholders with small numbers of shares who did not want to increase their holding were invited to donate their shares to the Trust. In 2019 the market value was £24,435.

Support

The Trust supports a variety of projects including rolling stock, infrastructure, permanent way, diesel, Bridgnorth development, education and access.

Major projects include:

  • The Charitable Trust funds most of the costs of the SVRSevern Valley Railway’s Heritage Skills Training Academy and team of apprentices. It costs £21,000 to fund an apprentice for one year, and the Trust funded £98,457 in 2019.
  • It secured an HLFHeritage Lottery Fund (National Lottery Heritage Fund from 2019) grant of £95,000 and contributed over £500,000 to the overhaul of 4930 Hagley Hall
  • At Falling Sands Viaduct it raised £1.25m for major repairs, completed in 2021.
  • Applications for the Fight Back Fund for which the SVRSevern Valley Railway received £250,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Emergency Fund and £906,000 from the Culture Recovery Fund.[6][7]

Fundraising

The Trust receives funds from donations and regular giving, grant making bodies, companies and groups and gifts in Wills.

In its early years appointed Compton Fundraising Consultants. It subsequently moved to a staff and volunteer based model.

It has sought to develop large scale fundraising, including lottery funding.

To generate support from "influential individuals" the Trust may typically invite a small group to spend a day on the SVRSevern Valley Railway using an Observation Saloon to make conducted visits to workshops to met staff and volunteer craftsmen.[8]

  • In addition to gifts it seeks pledges or future bequests. Those leaving a gift in their Will to the SVRSevern Valley Railway Charitable Trust are invited to join the Guardians' Club.[9]
  • Individuals donating over £100 or giving regular gifts by monthly contributions are invited to join the Patrons' Club.[9]
  • It has the support of Corporate partners

In May 2016, the Trust secured a grant of £75,000 from the Department for Transport towards a project to adapt a carriage to wheelchair use to complete the SVRSevern Valley Railway’s fleet of accessible carriages, and rebuilding a second carriage to provide wheelchair-accessible dining facilities

Fundraising events

Events organised by the Charitable Trust include:[10]

  • April 2014: Charity Race Day at Ludlow Races raising £62,000.[11]
  • June 2015: Charity Race Day at Worcester Racecourse raising £34,500.[12]
  • June 2016: Charity Race Day at Worcester Racecourse raising £22,000[13]
  • September 2016: VIP Flying Scotsman Charity Day[14]
  • 14 June 2017: Charity Race Day at Worcester Racecourse raising £23,000.[15]
  • 11 June 2018: Annual Charity Race Day at Worcester Racecourse raising £13,000.[16]

The Charitable Trust took over the organisation of the annual Peep Behind the Scenes day for 2017.

Endowment Future Fund

The Trust set up an endowment Future Fund, the income from which is intended to allow sustainable investment on the Railway in years to come. It has aspirations to grow the Fund to £2 million by 2020 and eventually to £10 million.[17] It appointed professional investment managers, Brewin Dolphin, to manage the investment. Donations to the Future Fund were matched, pound for pound, by a Heritage Lottery Fund Catalyst programme grant of up to £500,000 which was awarded in 2013 and reached on 26 May 2017, giving a total fund value of over £1 million.

Current appeals and restricted funding

The Trust's website lists its current appeals (11 as at 2021) and the annual report and accounts details restricted funds (19 as at 2019).

Rolling stock

The Charitable Trust owns GWR 7819 Hinton Manor, BR Class 11 12099 and a number of carriages and goods wagons. A full list of all the rolling stock owned by the Trust can be found here.

Some of these vehicles were donated to the Trust by preservation groups, including the following.

See also

References

  1. Companies House
  2. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 178
  3. Companies House
  4. Statement from Director of Development, November 2016 on SVR Live
  5. www.heritagetrustnetwork.org.uk
  6. Smith, R., 'Severn Valley Railway receives £250,000 funding boost ahead of reopening', Shropshire Star, 15 July 2020 (Retrieved 15 July 2020)
  7. Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (Retrieved 9 October 2020)
  8. 2013 Annual Report
  9. 9.0 9.1 Charitable Trust Website 'Make a Donation' (retrieved 12 August 2019)
  10. Charitable Trust news page
  11. 2014 Annual Report
  12. Worcester News
  13. James Connell, 'Race day at Worcester supports Severn Valley Railway's Heritage Skills Training Academy', Malvern Gazette 23 June 2016 (Retrieved 5 March 2017)
  14. Charitable Trust Flying Scotsman page
  15. SVRSevern Valley Railway Twitter 15 June 2017
  16. 'Express Points', July 2018
  17. SVRLive Charitable Trust page, 26 April 2017

Links

Charitable Trust website
SVRLive page