The Plym Valley Railway has announced that it has received financial help from the Government thanks to the Culture Recovery Fund.

The funding, worth £27,900, will go towards expanding the railway’s operations, extending workspace and allow for social distancing on trains.

A number of other railways have announced grants, including the South Devon Railway, West Somerset Railway and the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “As a nation it is essential that we preserve our heritage and celebrate and learn from our past. This massive support package will protect our shared heritage for future generations, save jobs and help us prepare for a cultural bounceback post covid.”

Paul Fox, Company Chairman, said: “We are pleased to receive this funding as it will allow the railway to operate more efficiently as we recover from our five-month closure following the pandemic. As a volunteer operated railway we have lost a large proportion of our income this year from not be able to operate train services so the funding will go towards lengthening our service train, allowing the railway to operate at a higher capacity while remaining co-vid secure and will allow an expansion of our workshops enabling our volunteers to socially distance while working on projects.

Duncan Wilson, Historic England’s Chief Executive said: “It is heartening to see grants, both large and small, from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund helping heritage sites and organisations across the country which have been hit hard by the effects of Covid-19. These grants range from giving skilled craft workers the chance to keep their trades alive to helping heritage organisations pay the bills, and to kick-starting repair works at our best-loved historic sites. The funding is an essential lifeline for our heritage and the people who work tirelessly to conserve it for us all, so that we can hand it on to future generations.”

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of the National Lottery Heritage Fund said: “It is absolutely right that investing in heritage should be a priority during this crisis and this support by Government is crucial. Heritage creates jobs and economic prosperity, is a major driver for tourism and makes our towns, cities, and rural areas better places to live. All of this is so important for our wellbeing and will be particularly vital when we start to emerge from this incredibly difficult time.

“Our heritage is still facing a perilous future – we are not out of the woods yet. But this hugely welcome funding from Government, and the money we continue to invest from the National Lottery, has undoubtedly stopped heritage and the organisations that care for it being permanently lost.”

Kate Mavor, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said: “This support for our nation’s heritage is fantastic news. Over the last few months, our teams have been working hard to welcome visitors back safely to the great castles, stone circles, abbeys and historic houses in our care. This funding will help us invest to safeguard the historic fabric of these much-loved places, which everyone can learn from and enjoy.”

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