WE NEED YOUR HELP MORE THAN EVER!
We therefore face a very significant loss of income, over an uncertain amount of time, which through no fault of our own could potentially put the whole Severn Valley Railway’s existence in jeopardy. Which is way we are launching an emergency appeal to our supporters, and the public.
S
evern Valley Railway urgently needs your help. We rely heavily on the regular income from visitors to keep us running but, in light of Government advice in response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, we have found it both necessary and sensible to postpone all our train services and to close the Engine House Visitor Centre, our gift shops and our refreshment rooms until further notice. We have also taken the difficult decision to cancel many events such as our Easter Holiday activities, Spring Steam Gala, Open House Weekend, Spring Diesel Festival and our 50th Anniversary celebrations in May, all of which were predicted to generate vital large scale income to keep the railway running.
Please help us - we now need your urgent and generous support to help us survive. All funds will go to help the Severn Valley Railway through this emergency. To do this please donate through our Charitable Trust by going to: www.svrtrust.org.uk/emergency For taxpayers we can apply for 25% Gift Aid, at no extra cost to you, which makes this a very efficient way of giving. You can also use the following methods, but Gift Aid is not available: t Make a transfer to SVR Charitable Trust: Sort code: 40-26-08, Account number: 91525786.
Without this income the Railway faces a very uncertain future and, although the Government has announced various support measures for businesses, they offer insufficient help to the Severn Valley Railway at present. We, like many other businesses, are not insured for business interruption caused by the pandemic and the only help currently available to us is through Government backed loans (if indeed we qualify), which would put the railway into significant debt and would take many years to pay off.
t Call 01562 757940 for card payments. t Send a cheque to SVR Charitable Trust Ltd, Number One, Comberton Place, Kidderminster, DY10 1QR. Thank you. Your support and understanding are much appreciated. Helen Smith General Manager 22
