The North Yorkshire Moors Railway has announced that it has been awarded £296,000 from the Capital Kickstart Fund, part of the £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund for their Yorkshire’s Magnificient Journey project, which has been delayed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The grant has been awarded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

21 other heritage organisations have been awarded grants alongside the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, including the Beamish Museum and the Black Country Living Museum, who have been awarded £975,000 and £3,740,000 respectively.

The pandemic has meant that some of its Yorkshire’s Magnificient Journey match funding has been deferred. This award though means that it can now continue to complete major elements of the project, as well as continue with renewing the station bridges at Goathland.

Bridges 24 and 25 will be replaced in January 2022.

This funding builds on the £1.9m grant awarded back in November 2020.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said:“From restoring Georgian lidos and Roman baths to saving local screens and synagogues, our Culture Recovery Fund is helping to save the places people can’t wait to get back to, when it is safe to do so.

“All over the country, this funding is protecting the venues that have shaped our history and make us proud of our communities, whilst safeguarding the livelihoods of the people that work in them.”

Chris Price, General Manager at NYMR comments: “Our spirits have been completely lifted thanks to news that we’ve successfully been awarded this additional grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Culture Recovery Fund.

“Just last month we announced that our own emergency appeal to raise vital funds from the loss during the pandemic raised an incredible £440,000. These funds helped retain our people and ensured that the railway could operate in the future.

“We knew however, that although we had overcome such an enormous hurdle that more was needed to keep projects like Yorkshire’s Magnificent Journey (YMJ) steaming ahead which is how the Capital Kickstart Award will support us.

“This project is significantly important as in addition to the major restorations of the Goathland Station bridges it enables us to continue with building our conservation and heritage apprenticeship programmes, our lineside ecological conservation work, offer fuss free access for disabled visitors, grow our learning offer at Pickering and Goathland, and of course reach out to individuals, groups and communities to share our passion for the history of the region through steam travel.

“From the whole team at the railway, and all 300,000 of our annual visitors thank you!”

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive, National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “These are all ongoing major refurbishment and restoration projects, funded by us, which have been threatened by the pandemic. From the oldest surviving outdoor swimming baths to a Victorian pier, and from a much-loved park to an historic abbey, these are all places that will enrich hundreds of lives when they reopen. We are delighted this extra funding from the Culture Recovery Fund will ensure that these exciting projects will go ahead.”

The National Lottery Heritage Fund, alongside the BFI, Historic England and Arts Council England are looking at the applications for the remaining £400m from the Culture Recovery Fund, which was held to allow the Government to support businesses through the Spring and Summer.

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