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Midland Railway Trust gets emergency grant to reopen

Midland Railway Trust Midland Railway TrustMidland Railway Trust
Midland Railway Trust has been awarded £104,400 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund

A heritage railway that had carriages vandalised during lockdown has been awarded an emergency grant.

Midland Railway Trust, which runs working stations Butterley and Hammersmith and Swanwick Junction in Derbyshire, will receive £104,400 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The trust said the funding would allow it to reopen in 2021 with Covid-19 safety measures in place.

In May, carriages were vandalised twice in two days.

Midland Railway Trust Butterley Station, in DerbyshireMidland Railway Trust
Midland Railway - Butterley operates stations in Butterley and Hammersmith and Swanwick Junction museum complex

A spokesperson said: "It's volatile in the heritage sector and the lockdown presented more challenges to sustain our future.

"It was a worrying time. The funding is a big morale boost for all our volunteers. "

They added the cash would "help us survive 2020 and ensure we have the time to make the changes required to successfully reopen".

The grant comes from the £50m Heritage Emergency Fund, set up in the wake of the lockdown.

Midland Railway Trust Midland Railway in Butterley had carriages vandalised in MayMidland Railway Trust
Midland Railway - Butterley had carriages vandalised twice in two days during lockdown in May

In May, Midland Railway - Butterley said it had become "victims to mindless vandalism".

At the time it said: "These careless heart-breaking acts just make our job list even longer for when it is safe to return."

Since then, more than £5,000 has been donated to help with repairs.

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