Popular tourist attraction, The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) has announced that this year’s Railway in Wartime event has been cancelled and will not be taking place in October as originally planned.

Chris Price, General Manager of NYMR said: “The cancellation of this year’s Railway in Wartime event will no doubt come as a terrible blow to our incredible staff, volunteers and reenactors who work so hard to make this event happen each and every year."

“However, the three-day event welcomes over 30,000 visitors, and involves many, many man-hours to both plan and execute. 95% of our staff are currently furloughed; we just don’t have the resource at present to pull this off."

“Not to mention, the railway is forecasting a loss of more than £1 million over the upcoming weeks and the upfront costs of the Railway in Wartime event are extremely high. Given the current uncertainties as a result of COVID-19, we have yet to confirm an opening date for the 2020 season, and the next 12-24 months are going to be a challenge."

“To keep the railway sustainable, difficult decisions are having to be made.”

The NYMR is a registered charity (501388) and without operating this would have a substantial impact on its future. Please help by donating to give the railway a fighting chance to be able to ‘steam on’ in its current form once the pandemic is over. 

• The NYMR can’t claim insurance compensation for business interruption.
• The government has not offered monetary aid to charities yet.
• The only government help currently available would put the railway into significant debt, which may take years to pay off.

We could potentially lose up to £1 million over the upcoming weeks. Figures of this magnitude could threaten the very existence of the railway. Please help now and support the NYMR to ensure we survive.

To donate, text 'NYMR' to 70085 to donate £10. This costs £10 plus a std rate message. Alternatively, you can opt to give any whole amount up to £20. E.g. If you text 'NYMR 1' = £1, 'NYMR 4' = £4. Thanks! If you would like to donate via cheque or BACS please complete this Donation Form.

 

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