Yorkshire's 'Bronte Country' heritage railway will struggle to survive until 2021 without government help

The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway have now launched an emergency appeal for public donations after failing to secure government assistance.

Operations manager Noel Hartley admits that if the preserved line is closed for six months then it may not be able to re-open and operate in its previous form. They need around £200,000 to maintain the railway during the lockdown period.

The situation is similar at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, where managers say the line could lose £1million after postponing the 2020 season - which usually runs from April to October - indefinitely and cancelling several large events.

Both heritage railways have charitable status and face an uncertain future, as the government has not yet pledged financial assistance to charities.

They rely on large numbers of volunteers, who are currently unable to perform their tasks due to lockdown restrictions, and must fund the maintenance of their historic locomotives, rolling stock, track and station buildings themselves through income from passengers ticket sales and events.

At the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway - which appears in the new Netflix period drama The English Game - salaried staff have been put on furlough.

"We have got some help from the government with salaries and we are currently investigating what else is available to us, however they have been fairly silent on assistance for charities," said Mr Hartley.

"If we go over six months closed then things start to get difficult for us. We are looking for £200,000 to secure our attraction for 2021 in the same form that it was before."

The KWVR plays a key role in tourism in the Worth Valley, as it carries passengers to Haworth - the home of the Bronte sisters - and is involved in the popular Haworth 1940s Weekend, with ticket-holders encouraged by the festival's organisers to arrive by train.

It has also been used as a filming location for productions such as the classic 1970s film The Railway Children, Last of the Summer Wine - where it featured in the 'runaway train' episode - Peaky Blinders, World War One film A Testament of Youth, the 2016 adaptation of Swallows and Amazons, and Keira Knightley spy thriller Official Secrets. It also appeared in a 2013 dramatisation of the events of the Great Train Robbery and has been a staple of period dramas such as Brideshead Revisited, Housewife 49, Sons and Lovers, North and South and Born and Bred.

There are 700 volunteers manning the railway, which runs from Keighley to Oxenhope and connects with mainline services at Keighley Station. The entire operation closed to the public on March 20 and has been 'mothballed' except for essential maintenance.

The Worth Saving appeal has been set up to encourage supporters of the railway to donate towards its upkeep.

Chairman Matt Stroh said: "Without income, cash reserves are disappearing fast and the railway needs help to survive as the fantastic example of living history that it is today.

"Any donation, large or small, would be hugely appreciated by the volunteer team at the KWVR and will go that step further to protecting its future.

"These are unprecedented times for the Bronte Country line and without the help of supporters we will struggle to keep the railway as the leading Yorkshire attraction that it is today. If many people give whatever they can afford, it would make a huge difference to us."

The railway is already having to pay for repairs to several diesel locomotives that suffered water damage during floods caused by Storm Ciara in February, when the beck beside the engine shed in Haworth overflowed.

To donate to the Keighley and Worth Valley's Worth Saving appeal, click here.

To donate to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway's crisis fund, click here.A message from the editor - and how to subscribe to The Yorkshire Post during the lockdown period

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