Following news that the Talyllyn Railway has succeeded in its bid for a multi-million-pound grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund comes news of further grant awards to the Talyllyn as it celebrates its 75th year as the World’s First Preserved Railway.
It has secured a grant of £200,000 from the Garfield Weston Foundation towards match funding the redevelopment costs, while the National Lottery Community Fund has awarded a grant of £323,707 towards the programme of community engagement associated with the project.
The redevelopment programme aims to provide the Railway with the resources it needs for the future and includes:
- A New Engineering Works at Tywyn Pendre.
- New Carriage Maintenance Facilities and Paintshop.
- Additional Volunteer Accommodation including an accessible suite.
- A Community Training Hub.
- A programme of Community Engagement with local and other groups.
- Restoration of the original station building and workshop at Pendre.
- A new visitor facility at Pendre with access to both the original and new workshops.
Commenting on their award, Sophia Weston of the Garfield Weston Foundation said:
‘I am delighted to confirm that the Trustees have agreed a grant of £200,000 towards improving your engineering and commercial facilities at the Talyllyn Railway, we look forward to hearing how your important work progresses.’
Rachel Richards, funding Manager of the National Lottery Community Fund also commented:
‘We really liked your application for National Lottery funding – and we are happy to support ‘Preserving our Past, Building our Future’ with £323,707 over 5 years to help your community’.
Together with The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s grant of £3,697,911, donations already made to the Railway’s 75 Appeal of approaching £375,000 plus Gift Aid and other funding, means that the Railway has secured just over £5 Million pounds in funding towards the £5.53 Million cost of the redevelopment.
Commenting on the grants Talyllyn Railway Company Chairman, David Ventry, said:
“In the year when we celebrate 75 years as the World’s First Preserved Railway this is excellent news, and we are grateful to both the Garfield Weston Foundation and The National Lottery Community Fund for their support. It is a further recognition of the urgent need for this project. The programme of community engagement is also vital for the future of the Railway. However, it is now essential that our 75 Appeal reaches its £750,000 target to ensure we have sufficient financial resources to move forwards with making our plans a reality.”
Ian Drummond, the Railway’s Fundraising Officer, also commented:
“This generous support from both the Garfield Weston Foundation and The National Lottery Community Fund is most welcome, and is another huge boost for our fundraising efforts. Although we have just over £500,000 still to find it is heartening that some £180,000 of this is already covered by pledges of regular donations from members of our 75 club of donors. However, this still leaves us with over £300,000 to raise, but with the continued backing of our members and donors I have no doubt we will reach our target.”
Further details about the ‘Preserving Our Past, Building Our Future’ redevelopment and the associated appeal can be found below.
Editor’s notes
The Garfield Weston Foundation
Garfield Weston Foundation is a family founded grant-maker that gives money to support a wide range of charities across the UK. In total we donate around £100 million each year.
https://garfieldweston.org/
The National Lottery Community Fund
The National Lottery Community Fund supports community projects that help people connect, grow and build a better future. They focus on supporting people facing poverty, disadvantage or discrimination. By 2030, they will share over £4 billion to create stronger, fairer communities across the UK.
https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk
The Talyllyn Railway
The Talyllyn Railway is a narrow-gauge railway opened for goods traffic in 1865 and shortly after for passenger services, which have operated every year since between Tywyn on the west coast of Wales and Nant Gwernol just over seven miles inland. In 1951 operation of the line was taken over by the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society and became the world’s first preserved railway. Operation of the line is primarily by volunteers from all walks of life, with a small paid staff. It is now a major tourist attraction in the mid-Wales area, contributing significantly to the area’s economy.
In 2026 it will celebrate 75 years as the World’s First Preserved Railway
For further information about this press release please e-mail: [email protected] or phone 01654 710472.
