The Charity Shop
Since the grand opening of the Charity Shop at the end of May the team has finished remodelling and re-stocking the interior ready for customers. They have also ensured that it has been open as often as possible on running days to maximise money raised from our generous visitors and supporters. Sales have been steady and our fundraising efforts continue.
Externally, the shop does not look pretty at the moment but that is all about to change. We have had great news from the buildings team; they will be able to begin cladding the container exterior and adding a pitched roof in about 4 weeks. This will make such a huge difference to the shop; both aesthetically and in preparation for the colder, winter months. We have also decided to add an internal bi-fold door at the entrance which should help keep out the elements when the shop is open. We already have a new Charity Shop sign for the shop and look forward to mounting our plaque from Carters on the new cladding.
Moving forward, we want to ensure that the Charity Shop is accessible to all. Unfortunately, at the moment, we are unable to accommodate wheelchair users due to the shop being slightly raised from the ground. Hopefully this will be rectified in a few months; measurements have now been taken for an accessibility ramp and John (volunteer with sheds team) has offered to make this for us. We are delighted that he continues to support us; he also made the ramp for our previous 'Big Project 2023' (the accessible toilet) which has proved to be invaluable to many visitors.
The Charity Bookshop
The Charity Bookshop is now located in the container NEXT to the charity shop at Wansford. It is fully stocked with a variety of books: fiction, non-fiction, railway themed and non-railway themed. The bookshop will also stock jigsaws and similar items; there is definitely something for everyone! All money raised in the bookshop goes directly into the Charity Shop account and is used towards the projects that we continue to support.
The museum group have kindly granted permission for the GWR clock (that was on display in the old carriage bookshop) to now be displayed in our bookshop. As this is a working heritage piece, this will be securely attached to the wall for customers to enjoy.
Southern TPO (our 'Big Project 2025')
On 17th June, the Southern TPO saw daylight for the first time in 12 years when the tarpaulin was removed so that the condition of the carriage could be properly assessed by our experts in the field. We were all very relieved when the consensus was that the carriage is generally in good condition; the roof is secure and waterproof and the bodywork needs less work than anticipated. Generally, it has stood the test of time well since it was covered up over a decade ago. Sadly the tarpaulin had to be replaced temporarily as the windows had also been removed during the roof restoration work and can no longer be located. As a result, new glass is being ordered for the TPO (by Karl) and once that has arrived another very generous volunteer has offered to make the window frames and fit the glass for us. Once the new glass is in place, the tarpaulin will be permanently removed.
Thanks to the hard work of the team of volunteers who have already helped to remove the items that were being stored in the TPO over the last few weeks, we are nearly ready to start the actual cleaning process internally. Once this has happened, the TPO can start to be set up as an interactive exhibit. New letters and parcels are going to be made for visitors to 'sort' while on the train as they try to envisage life as a mailman on the railways.
An informative visitors board will also be manufactured and erected outside the TPO; this board will include educational facts about the TPO and details about the restoration project.
Derek Crouch
The charity shop's financial support of the restoration of the Derek Crouch continues. The team recently donated another £1000 to the fund and in the last couple of weeks we have also received two independent donations (totalling £4500) from supporters specifically for the cause. This money makes a significant difference by ensuring that steady progress can continue to be made by the team overseeing this project.
The latest update from the DC team reads:
"The DC frames are now wheeled with coupling rods fitted; all inner motions will be fitted shortly. Cab has been temporarily fitted to the frames to to allow work to be done on the bunker floor. Once the floor is completed, it will be removed again to allow us to rivet the rear buffer beam back on. The new tube plate is being made off site and will be ready to fit (apart from the smoke box rivet holes). The new large part of the outer wrapper has been drilled and is ready to fit, The inner firebox should be removed in the next couple of weeks - once removed it will allow us to mark the holes required in the new outer wrapper sheet".
Other projects
Although the charity shop team are currently supporting these two main projects at the railway, we will continue to support other smaller events or projects when we can. Since May, some of our funds have been re-directed back into the charity shop to ensure that it could be opened and would be running efficiently. This has covered the cost of the installation of wifi, connecting the water and setting up a small kitchen area for the volunteers who man the shop. This will allow them to have the occasional refreshment between serving customers rather than having to close the shop intermittently through the day.
We have however, been delighted to contribute again towards the Volunteers, Staff and Members Evening in August. This year we have donated the funds to specifically cover the cost of the entertainment for the evening. We recognise the invaluable contribution made by all volunteers at Nene Valley Railway and know they fully deserve their hard work and dedication to be rewarded and celebrated. We hope that everyone who attends has a great evening.
Finally...
We just wanted to say thank you to all of you wonderful people. We know that none of this would be possible without the continued support that you give us and we really do appreciate it. It doesn't matter whether you donate items, buy items, purchase numbers in our competitions or bought cake at our coffee morning; every penny/pound adds up and makes a tremendous difference.
The Charity Shop Team