The 2874 Trust is delighted to advise that we have been awarded a significant grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to train and develop volunteers’ heritage engineering skills
The 2874 Trust has been awarded a £151,200 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to both develop the engineering skills of existing volunteers, to attract and train a new generation and to help secure heritage skills for the future.
The engineering skills needed to repair, maintain and operate historic steam locomotives are an increasingly rare commodity, without this funding, from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, they could be lost forever and the viability of the living museums that are heritage railways consequently put at risk.
The National Lottery funded project will enable volunteers to develop their existing skills with activity on our 1918 built steam locomotive 2874 as the training platform. A variety of work projects will concentrate on teaching and developing the skills required for boiler restoration and so help ensure the preservation of this vital pool of knowledge.
A programme of activities will showcase, through displays and exhibitions, the work of our existing volunteer workforce to a wide audience with the aim of encouraging a new generation to become involved in heritage. There will be a range of events tailored to suit different age groups and designed to interest and inspire the volunteers of the future. The project will enable us to reach out to groups of young people who have perhaps never had the opportunity to witness “heritage in action” and hopefully generate their further involvement.
With the expertise gained by the voluntary workforce the resilience of the whole sector will be enhanced.
we will use our website at www.2874trust.org to share regular updates on progress and we will also advertise all of the dates and venues for our display stands.
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David Foster, Chairman of The 2874 Trust said: “We are thrilled to have received this support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players we will help ensure that the skills necessary to keep historic steam locomotives working are preserved so that future generations can enjoy the sight and sound of our industrial heritage”
About The 2874 Trust
The 2874 Trust is an educational charity, using the restoration of ex Great Western Railway 2-8-0 heavy freight locomotive number 2874 to provide training in heritage engineering skills for those new to the sector and developmental opportunities for the more experienced volunteer The locomotive itself was built in1918 to a Churchward design and remained in service until 1963.
We aim to help ensure the expertise to restore, maintain and operate historic steam locos is secured so that future generations can enjoy some of Britain's industrial heritage.
The loco stood idle for over 50 years but, once the restoration is complete, we will give it a new life working on Heritage Railways and thus give pleasure to the thousands of passengers who each year enjoy the sight, sounds and smell of steam power.
Our aim is to ensure that everyone who assists in the restoration, either physically or with other support gains both satisfaction and enjoyment from the experience. By publicising our restoration work through our website and displays at events we aim to showcase the skills involved and bring heritage engineering to a wider audience.
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
As the largest dedicated funder of the UK’s heritage, The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained by everyone, now and in the future as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033.
Over the next ten years, they aim to invest £3.6billion, raised for good causes by National Lottery players to bring about benefits for people, places and the natural environment.
They help protect, transform and share the things from the past that people care about, from popular museums and historic places, our natural environment and fragile species, to the languages and cultural traditions that celebrate who we are.
The NHLF are passionate about heritage and committed to driving innovation and collaboration to make a positive difference to people’s lives today, while leaving a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy.
For more information on the National Heritag eLottery fund go to www.heritagefund.org.uk They also have facebook and twitter accounts
For further information re 2874 and how you may become involved, please contact David Foster at The 2874 Trust on 077 908 73421 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.