North Yorkshire Moors Railway wins £1.9m grant
The heritage railway, which runs services from Whitby to Pickering, has benefitted from Arts Council England's 'Culture Recovery Fund'.
Last updated 7th Nov 2020
North Yorkshire Moors Railway has received a grant of just over £1.9 million from Arts Council England's 'Culture Recovery Fund'.
It was set up to help cultural organisations who were financially stable before Covid-19, but now find themselves at 'imminent risk of failure' due to the impact of the pandemic.
Bosses of the railway, which runs services between Whitby and Pickering, say they 'breathed a great sigh of relief' when they heard they'd been awarded the cash.
The railway's application for the grant was supported by both Scarborough and Whitby MP Robert Goodwill, and Thirsk, Malton and Filey MP Kevin Hollinrake.
In a joint letter to the Culture Secretary, they said:
“Like many other businesses this year NYMR has been hard hit by the pandemic. Its current forecasts estimate that visitor numbers will be 15% of usual capacity, with the prospect of restricted operating and events opportunities for at least a further six months along with reduced maintenance and renewal investment resulting in a huge funding gap.
"NYMR is an attraction like no other and one that we absolutely must preserve not only for its dedicated workforce, most of whom are volunteers, but also for the millions who use it and for those who stand in awe as it chugs through the beautiful countryside. We urge you to give it your full backing”.
Speaking after the announcement Mr Hollinrake said:
“This is an iconic feature of North Yorkshire and this money will help save jobs and preserve it for the millions of visitors who enjoy it every year. It is unthinkable that we could lose it and this money will help preserve it for future generations.”
Robert Goodwill MP said:
“Not only does this grant secure the survival of an iconic tourist attraction that brings so many visitors to our area year after year but also the North Yorkshire Moors Railway is an irreplaceable element of our national historic heritage that we could never allow to be another casualty of this dreadful virus.”
Andrew Scott CBE, Vice Chair of the NYMR’s Trustees said:
“We all breathed a great sigh of relief when we heard that our application for Cultural Recovery funds had been successful. It means we can keep our irreplaceable team of more than 100 staff together and play our role in attracting the visitors who will reinvigorate the National Park’s economy just as soon as the Coronavirus situation allows.
We will now, for the first time, be able to run a winter service including dining trains as soon as lockdown finishes”.
Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England, said:
“Culture makes a huge and increasing contribution to our national life, bringing communities together, fuelling our creative industries, and representing our country on the world stage.
These grants add to those announced last month, and will put these organisations in a better position to bounce back and help their communities recover from this crisis.
The Arts Council is grateful to the government for the special support being made available to the arts and culture through the Culture Recovery Fund and we’re proud to support all the organisations receiving awards today.”