DELIGHTED trustees at a Kidderminster attraction have hit an appeal target to rectify damage caused by vandals in just one week.

The Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust announced it has received to flood of donations and raised the £10,000 needed to restore two railway carriages that were attacked during the festive period.

Workers arrived at SVR on Boxing Day and were shocked to find spray paint covering the sides of two of the carriages – including one pulled by the historic Flying Scotsman locomotive.

Trust director Shelagh Paterson said: “The speed and generosity of the response we’ve received shows us just how shocked people were when the news of this awful incident broke.

“It also shows the depth of their passion for the Severn Valley Railway, and everything it stands for. Keeping our heritage alive and accessible is clearly very important to the wide range of people who’ve come forward to add their support.

“With the exception of a handful of larger amounts, most of the donations we received were between £10 and £25. Each one was a vote of confidence in the sterling skills of the SVR’s restoration volunteers and staff, and we are so grateful to everyone for their support.”

A generous donation of £1,000 took the appeal past its £10,000 target. This came from the Worcestershire Ambassadors, a group that draws together leaders of industry, enterprise and public life.

The group’s chair, Phil Dutton of Handelsbanken Worcester, said: “When we learnt about the vandalised carriages, we felt very strongly that we wanted to help the railway in its time of need.

“As a group, our aim is to promote Worcestershire as a place to work, live and visit. Making this donation to the county’s leading heritage and visitor attraction is exactly the sort of cause we want to support.”

Work to restore the first of the vandalised carriages, the teak-bodied GNR 2701 dating from 1922, is well underway in the SVR’s Kidderminster paint shop.

Paint removal will begin in the next few days on the second vandalised carriage, the metal-skinned GWR 1146.

This unscheduled work to restore these two carriages has delayed other planned projects.

Although the initial appeal target of £10,000 has been reached, further contributions to carriage restoration are needed, and donations can be made online at www.svrtrust.org.uk or by phoning 01562 757940.