Join Piglet’s Journey with the North Yorkshire Moors Railway

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) is inviting its loyal supporters onboard for an appeal with a difference as it announces the launch of a vital fundraising initiative.

As its official running season comes to an end, the heritage railway is looking ahead to the necessary funds that the charity needs to continue to steam on into 2024 and beyond for future generations to enjoy. 

The Piglet’s Journey fundraising campaign is encouraging people to make a donation which will then automatically enter them into a prize draw where one lucky winner will enjoy free travel at the award-winning attraction for a year.

The NYMR, featured in Channel 5’s hit programmes, Yorkshire Steam Railway and Big Steam Adventure, is giving people the chance to attend an exclusive event hosted by Paul ‘Piglet’ Middleton, iconic and long-standing member of staff who has been at the NYMR since he was 16 years old. This event is amongst other exciting donation gifts all in a bid to keep Britain’s busiest steam railway on track. 

Donation gifts include:

• Donate what you can – will enter you once into the prize draw for free NYMR travel for a year

• £25 donation – your name will feature on the new NYMR station artwork

• £120 donation – sponsorship of an NYMR apprentice, a personal letter of thanks and quarterly updates from the team

• £500 donation - two tickets to an exclusive event hosted by Piglet plus a chat with him

Julia Clark, Director of Fundraising at the NYMR said, We took a huge financial hit during COVID-19 and since then, with running costs continuing to soar, the railway has struggled to recover. The NYMR is a bridge between the past and the future. For years, we’ve transported passengers through the spectacular and timeless Yorkshire scenery – but we need to ensure that this journey continues for future generations.

Our much-loved Piglet has worked tirelessly here since he was 16 years old. He’s instrumental in sharing the magic of steam with our visitors but can’t take the NYMR into the future without your help. That's why he's calling on you to support this special fundraising appeal to help raise the vital funds we need.

Paul Middleton (aka Piglet), Director of Mechanical Engineering at the NYMR said, Running a railway like this is challenging in terms of the costs involved and the skills required. For example, vital running costs cover the three tonnes of coal per day each locomotive requires, most tender engines have 12 brake blocks which have to be changed every other month, not to mention the job of re-profiling a locomotive’s tyres to ensure the train runs safely. These are all highly costly and that’s before all the funding needed to train and equip our drivers, firemen, cleaners, fitters and the rest of the team.

There are many different opportunities for you to support our campaign and weave your name into our future. Rest assured that every single contribution will help guarantee that the steam never runs out, the stories never fade, and the magic of the moors remains accessible to everyone.

For more information about the appeal and to make a donation visit, nymr.co.uk/piglets-journey