The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust has released a statement regarding their current position in the coronavirus outbreak.
They have already had to cancel a railtour due to the outbreak.
These cancellations all come after the new guidance from the government regarding the public avoiding unnecessary social contact and travel.
What did they say?
The A1SLT said:
The Trustees of The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust have been following the guidance from the Government and NHS on the Coronavirus. This week the guidance and direction from Government changed, in particular introducing the need to stop any non-essential travel and avoid gatherings & crowded places. It also recommends that people who are vulnerable – including those who are elderly – will need to undertake even more drastic measures.
Following the change in guidance, the Trustees have taken the responsible decision to postpone our ‘Fen and Fells Flyer’ railtour scheduled for Saturday 4th April. We understand that this will be a disappointment but is the only decision available to us during the current situation. We will look to reschedule this railtour into the second half of this year. Passengers have been contacted separately about their bookings. Please visit our website for the latest railtours news.
We have also taken the decision to postpone our P2 Roadshows on Saturday 21st March in Peterborough and Saturday 18th April in Darlington. We had already had to postpone our P2 Roadshows on Saturday 6th June in Carlisle and Thursday 23rd July in Aberdeen due to our presenter becoming unavailable. We will be reviewing whether or not to go ahead with each planned future roadshow and are also investigating an on-line substitute – so please keep an eye on our website for the latest updates.
A further impact of the Coronavirus is that we are suspending our Darlington Locomotive Works Open Days – which usually take place on the first and third Saturday of each month – until further notice in order to protect our staff, volunteers and visitors alike. We are also closing the Works to volunteers and visitors until further notice for the same reason. In the meantime, we have put measures in place to continue to operate in the Works whilst it is safe to do so.
As a small charity, we value our loyal supporters, passengers and visitors and hope that travelling behind Tornado and visiting DLW will be resumed in the not too distant future. We will of course be reviewing all our activities on a frequent basis to protect everyone involved with the Trust and to secure our long-term future.
We are sorry to have to make these changes. We hope you understand that the circumstances are beyond our control and the restrictions are very necessary at this challenging time.
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