Flood appeal fund hits £300,000 (From Kidderminster Shuttle)

Flood appeal fund hits £300,000

12:00pm Saturday 11th August 2007

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SEVERN Valley Railway's Flood Damage Appeal Fund has received more than £300,000 with donations continuing to roll in.

The damage suffered by the SVR when a month's rainfall in one night, in June, left line sections washed away, leaving rails suspended in mid-air.

The storms left a £2.5million repair bill and railway bosses have said the fund is vital to help the railway make up an expected £500,000 shortfall in rebuilding costs.

SVR continues to operate its service of heritage steam trains over the unaffected southern end of the line between Kidderminster and Bewdley.

It may now be next year before the full line between Bridgnorth and Kidderminster is reinstated, and trains running normally over the full 16-mile route.

Donations to the flood appeal fund have come from far and wide ranging from children donating pocket money and the contents of their piggy-banks to individual donations of several thousands of pounds.

A £5,000 donation is being made to the railway by another organisation which holds steam dear - the County of Salop Steam Engine Society - COSSES.

After hearing of the SVR's plight, COSSES - essentially a traction engine group rather than a railway interest group - voted unanimously at its committee meeting last month to make the gift to its brother in steam'.

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