Mountsorrel Parish Council has donated a very generous £5,000 to the Mountsorrel Railway.
We are very grateful to Mountsorrel Parish Council for their help and support. Councillor Mick Lemon commented "The Mountsorrel Railway project is an inspiration to everyone who lives in Mountsorrel and goes to show what is possible when the community works together."
Project volunteers had been working hard to match fund a donation of £6,000 that had been pledged by a member of the public, providing that we could match it before the end of September. So the Parish Council's donation, together with our existing fundraising, takes us well past the match funding required and therefore releases the additional £6,000 as well!
This is great news for the volunteers who are working to preserve Mountsorrel's industrial heritage. Over the last four years local people have volunteered in their spare time to help create a linear museum which connects to Loughborough's Great Central Railway (GCR). The project aims to run educational and public recreations of our industrial past and also for the GCR to run heritage passenger trains connecting with local tourist attractions at Mountsorrel, including Stonehurst Family Farm. The Mountsorrel Railway, when completed, will hopefully help secure and boost local jobs.
Project leader Steve Cramp commented "We have been overwhelmed by the support we have received from the public. It was only in May that we launched our £20,000 fund raising appeal for the next section of track laying along the branch. We never thought that we would reach our target in only six weeks! The project relies on donations from the public to bring this ambitious project to reality and it's so good to see the community getting behind us like this. The Parish Council's donation really is the icing on the cake and their kind words of support are very much appreciated indeed".
All this means that the current phase of track laying is now completely funded and, once materials are sourced, we can lay the next 450 metres of track, giving almost half a mile of running line along the railway.
Fundraising immediately turns towards the remainder of the railway. Phase 3 will extend track for a further 500m almost to Wood Lane, and the final phase 4 will be the remaining 500m to the end of the line at Bond Lane. Both these phases will cost £25,000 each, so we still have some way to go to reach Mountsorrel!
Please send your donations to 112 Balmoral Road, Mountsorrel, Loughborough, LE12 7EW. The project is a registered charity so if you are a UK taxpayer please down load a Gift Aid form. If you would like to get involved and volunteer yourself please contact project leader Steve Cramp.
Monday, 18 July 2011
Monday, 11 July 2011
July project news
Track laying
Phase 1 track laying is now complete and the track slewed, lifted and packed ready to receive trains. The line is looking very good indeed.
The video below shows a freight train running onto the branch as part of the Great Central Railway's Quorn turntable project.
Our focus is now turning towards phase 2 track laying, which will see track laid for a further 450m along the branch. This will give almost half a mile of running line. Please see the details below about our fundraising appeal and help us to push on towards Mountsorrel.
Bond Lane bridge restoration
Our intrepid bridge restoration team has been working extremely hard on restoring the Bond Lane bridge. What a battle this has been though. Back in April we had some of the hand dressed original stones stolen, which our volunteers had restored ready for reconstruction. Since then we have had sand stolen from the site and in June we had two rows of newly laid stones smashed off the bridge and stolen.
We have been meeting almost weekly with the local police to discuss the problem. They suggested erecting a steel security fence. The cost of this though was beyond our means but thanks to the loan of fencing from Mountsorrel quarry we were able to secure the site. Sadly though this didn't last longer than four days before the fence itself was stolen!
The bridge restoration really has been a battle and at times soul destroying for the volunteers involved, especially our younger volunteers who struggle to understand why people would destroy the work they have done. Nevertheless, not to be beaten they have pushed on and the wall is very nearly finished. Work has progressed even further since the picture below was taken and the wall is now almost ready for the capping stones to be added to the top.
If you see any suspicious behaviour around the railway bridge at Bond Lane, please contact Leicestershire police on 0116 2222222.
Fundraising
A supporter has pledged a very kind and generous £6,000 donation to the project, providing that we can match it before the end of September! Our volunteers have been working very hard with fundraising initiatives to try to raise the matching £6,000 we need.
Many donations have been coming in from the public. Thank you very much indeed if you have already donated!
One of our volunteers Janet Preston ran a project fundraising garden party at the end of June, which raised a remarkable £600. On August 7th John and Jenny Hardy are having an "open shed" event to raise funds for the project. In their back garden stands what must be one of the largest garden sheds I have ever seen. It houses a collection of historical farm and industrial tools which John has collected over the last 30 years. An old Ferguson tractor is its centre piece, all carefully laid out in a way that puts most museums to shame.
John's shed is quite renowned locally and has featured on TV. He often hosts visits from engineering colleges. A flyer for John and Jenny's fundraising event is shown below. Please come along if you can and help support the project.
You can help us directly to raise the match funding we need by sending your donation cheque made payable to "DCRT" (David Clarke Railway Trust), with "Mountsorrel Railway" on the back, to 112 Balmoral Road, Mountsorrel, Loughborough, LE12 7EW. If you are a UK taxpayer please download a gift aid form and send it with your donation.
If we can match the £6,000 pledged we will have all the funds required for phase 2 track laying, so please help us not to miss out on this generous offer.
Phase 1 track laying is now complete and the track slewed, lifted and packed ready to receive trains. The line is looking very good indeed.
The video below shows a freight train running onto the branch as part of the Great Central Railway's Quorn turntable project.
Our focus is now turning towards phase 2 track laying, which will see track laid for a further 450m along the branch. This will give almost half a mile of running line. Please see the details below about our fundraising appeal and help us to push on towards Mountsorrel.
Bond Lane bridge restoration
Our intrepid bridge restoration team has been working extremely hard on restoring the Bond Lane bridge. What a battle this has been though. Back in April we had some of the hand dressed original stones stolen, which our volunteers had restored ready for reconstruction. Since then we have had sand stolen from the site and in June we had two rows of newly laid stones smashed off the bridge and stolen.
We have been meeting almost weekly with the local police to discuss the problem. They suggested erecting a steel security fence. The cost of this though was beyond our means but thanks to the loan of fencing from Mountsorrel quarry we were able to secure the site. Sadly though this didn't last longer than four days before the fence itself was stolen!
The bridge restoration really has been a battle and at times soul destroying for the volunteers involved, especially our younger volunteers who struggle to understand why people would destroy the work they have done. Nevertheless, not to be beaten they have pushed on and the wall is very nearly finished. Work has progressed even further since the picture below was taken and the wall is now almost ready for the capping stones to be added to the top.
If you see any suspicious behaviour around the railway bridge at Bond Lane, please contact Leicestershire police on 0116 2222222.
Fundraising
A supporter has pledged a very kind and generous £6,000 donation to the project, providing that we can match it before the end of September! Our volunteers have been working very hard with fundraising initiatives to try to raise the matching £6,000 we need.
Many donations have been coming in from the public. Thank you very much indeed if you have already donated!
One of our volunteers Janet Preston ran a project fundraising garden party at the end of June, which raised a remarkable £600. On August 7th John and Jenny Hardy are having an "open shed" event to raise funds for the project. In their back garden stands what must be one of the largest garden sheds I have ever seen. It houses a collection of historical farm and industrial tools which John has collected over the last 30 years. An old Ferguson tractor is its centre piece, all carefully laid out in a way that puts most museums to shame.
John's shed is quite renowned locally and has featured on TV. He often hosts visits from engineering colleges. A flyer for John and Jenny's fundraising event is shown below. Please come along if you can and help support the project.
You can help us directly to raise the match funding we need by sending your donation cheque made payable to "DCRT" (David Clarke Railway Trust), with "Mountsorrel Railway" on the back, to 112 Balmoral Road, Mountsorrel, Loughborough, LE12 7EW. If you are a UK taxpayer please download a gift aid form and send it with your donation.
If we can match the £6,000 pledged we will have all the funds required for phase 2 track laying, so please help us not to miss out on this generous offer.
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