Snap happy, North Yorkshire Moors Railway, announces winning photography for charity calendar

North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR), rewards local talent as it announces the winners of its photography competition.

One of Britain’s most popular heritage railway, NYMR, launched the competition in celebration of the wonderful world of steam trains by sourcing 12 show-stopping images, both old and new, to fill its upcoming calendar.

As a charitable trust, all proceeds from the calendar will be donated to Yorkshire’s Magnificent Journey which sees the 180-year-old railway raise the necessary funds to maintain and keep old carriages, tracks and bridges in good working order.

A total of 350 images were submitted by passionate photographers from across the UK, which were then whittled down to just 48 by judges at NYMR. The final selected images were put to the public vote and received in total, a huge 10,000 votes from the railways’ fans.

Two entries from talented photographer, Keith Harris, won a placement for both June and August with his picturesque shot of Levisham station and blooming countryside heather set in the backdrop of one of NYMR’s famous steam trains in transit.

Most voted for image, with a staggering 1238 votes, was captured by Paul Ming. The stand-out shot of two volunteers chatting away on a bench outside Goathland Station will be placed in the month of March.

As well as featuring in next year’s calendar, the 11 winners of the competition will also receive a four-person ticket to this year’s popular Annual Steam Gala, taking place from 27^th-29^th September.

Laura Strangeway, Marketing Manager at NYMR, said: “A huge congratulations to all the winners! We have been blown away by not only the number of beautiful photographs, but also the level of engagement the competition has seen. The calendar will showcase the true beauty behind our much-loved railway, its famous history and the stunning countryside the carriages pass through each day.”

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is an award-winning charitable trust that carries 300,000 unique passengers every year. It is Britain’s most popular heritage railway and is one of the best visitor attractions in the North East. 

The NYMR trust relies heavily on donations and the work of its many volunteers. The 180-year old railway needs to raise £1 million by 2022 so its railway bridges and its 50-100-year-old vehicles can remain viable. www.nymr.co.uk/YMJ

• The NYMR cares for operating and developing the railway it owns from Pickering to Grosmont.
• The heritage railway operates over Network Rail from Grosmont to Whitby.
• The charity provides a high quality, safe and authentic evocation of the steam age for the public.
• The NYMR is an Educational Charitable Trust. Providing education for all ages.
• The railway is a fully accredited museum.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund: Using money raised by the National Lottery, we inspire, lead and resource the UK’s heritage to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future. www.heritagefund.org.uk.

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