Nene Valley Railway prepares to open charity shop at Wansford station and restart Thomas
Plans are in the works for the opening of a railway’s first charity shop as the site is back in full steam.
Nene Valley Railway will be opening its own charity shop to raise money for the upkeep of the heritage business.
The news comes as the railway at Wansford also prepares to go back to full steam on Saturday (August 1).
Speaking about the charity shop, Sarah Derry, a trustee at Nene Valley Railway, said: “The idea came from when I visited other railways and saw they had very good charity shops that were bringing in a good income.”
Money raised through the sale of items will go towards maintenance of the facilities and the locomotives, which are restored and looked after by volunteers.
Due to minimal space at Wansford station, the shop will be housed within a renovated portacabin on site.
Sarah, who came up with the idea for the charity shop two years ago, said: “I had to find a space but I was lucky enough to be offered a portable cabin in absolute desperate need of restoration.
“It needed a new roof and ceiling to the point where I was told to get rid of it and get something else.”
The renovation work cost about £2,500 which was raised through donations and a raffle held on Facebook.
Sarah said she hopes to have the portable cabin ready for opening as a charity shop by August 15.
The shop will be open on Wednesdays from 10am to 2pm and at weekends from 10am to 3pm.
Anyone wanting to donate items to the Nene Valley Railway charity shop can e-mail: sarahhudson21@hotmail.com.
l Thomas, the railway’s iconic train, will be pulling carriages from Wansford Station to Yarwell and back, from tomorrow.
Kim Shaw, manager, said: “I’m excited but cautious. We are happy to get the trains running again and keep alive the dream that is Nene Valley Railway but want to make sure the new normal we are living in meets the expectations of customers.”
There will be no food and drink service on the train, instead a kiosk will be available in a marquee on the platform.
The attraction, which has been awarded the Visit England We’re Good To Go accreditation, will have safety measures in place
throughout.
These include pre-booking tickets, card payments only at the refreshment kiosk and Wansford Shop, a one-way system on the platform and no on-train toilets. Face masks must also be worn on the train unless in a seated compartment.
A competition is also being held on their Facebook page, Nene Valley Railway, for two winners to get a free family compartment on the train - one for this weekend (August 1/2) and one for next weekend (August 8/9).
Visit nvr.org.uk for more details.
