Wensleydale Railway kept afloat with emergency package from lottery

“It’s a lifeline for us – literally a lifeline,” said Helen Ashworth, volunteer coordinator and lead fundraiser on the Wensleydale line, which runs through Bedale and Leyburn, to Redmire.

“It was all done incredibly quickly. It wasn’t the usual process at all,” Ms Ashworth added.

The railway has been closed since March and its staff furloughed, although a £380,000 restoration of the Leeming Bar station house has continued, with contractors doing the work.

It says the cash injection will mean it can resume services as soon as it gets the green light from the Government.

Among the first trains to will be run will be two Pacers recently pensioned off from the national network. The so-called buses on wheels were despised by commuters but Ms Ashworth said their layout made them ideal for socially distancing passengers in the future.

“They’re perfect for a heritage railway,” she said. “We bought one for a few hundred pounds and a donor gave us another.”

The railway’s chairman, Guy Loveridge, said: “We’re grateful that the National Lottery Heritage Fund is supporting us at this crucial time when we have no income with no running train services. It’s a lifeline to us and others who are passionate about sustaining heritage for the benefit of all.”

The National Lottery has “repurposed” up to £600m to support the arts, community, charity, heritage, education, environment and sports sectors. Its chief executive, Ros Kerslake, said: “All of these things are going to be even more important as we emerge from this current crisis.”

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