Nene Valley Railway charity shop to reopen on May 28 thanks to donation from RG Carter

A construction company has saved a charity shop from closure after its premises were condemned.

RG Carter donated a new storage unit to Nene Valley Railway after learning that its charity shop was at risk of closure.

In October the shop building was closed for maintenance but the work proved to be too big of a task and volunteers feared it would have to close for good.

But RG Carter came to the rescue and the new unit was delivered to the site in Wansford in April. An official opening of the new charity shop is now planned for later this month.

Shop manager Sarah Hudson Mann said: “We are thrilled with the donation of a new shop unit from RG Carter. The company’s support of Nene Valley Railway shows their commitment to the wider community and will allow us to continue to raise funds to ensure the railway remains accessible to all.”

The charity shop opened in 2020 and has raised money for the Derek Crouch restoration fund, new air brakes for the Wagons team and tools and a shed for the gardening volunteers. It also covered the cost of converting an old wagon into a charity bookshop and the installation of accessible toilets.

The shop will reopen at Wansford Station on Wednesday, May 28 at 10.30am when Martin Randall from RG Carter will cut the ribbon. A coffee morning will run from 10am until 1pm.