Dear Supporters of the GWSR
The following letter was posted to GWSR PLC Shareholders this week - too everybody reading this we extend our best wishes for Christmas and the New Year!
December
2016
Dear Fellow
Shareholder,
This letter
is from the volunteers on the GWSR to thank you for your generous support in
the year now drawing to a conclusion and to wish you and your families all good
wishes for Christmas and the New Year!
It has been
another record year on the railway which you own and a number of important
milestones have been passed!
All the
railway’s special events this year attracted more visitors and the normal
operating days were also busier. In the annual report which accompanied last
year’s financial statements I reported that our passenger numbers were 88,500
(for the year ended 31 January 2016). At the end of October this year we had
carried more than 80,000 passengers (69,000 at the same time last year) and,
with Santa bookings strongly up, and the normal busy services between Christmas
and the New Year, I would not be surprised if passenger numbers for the year
exceed the magical six figures for the first time ever!
The other
highlights of this year’s operations were a return to traffic of both Foremarke
Hall and P&O, the latter after a 31 year restoration. Both locos looked
magnificent as all of you who visited the railway will know and are a huge
credit to their owning groups and our steam loco department.
We added one
new event this year, the Food and Drink Fayre, and this was enormously popular
with travellers and traders alike and will be repeated next October - but in a
bigger format!
Turning to
next year, the 2017 timetable is out (see gwsr.com) and we are adding one new
event to our programme of special events being a Lego Bricks and Trains weekend
in May. The chartered race trains for the Cheltenham Festival are proving so
popular that an extra coach is being added in March to both trains. Wartime in
the Cotswolds in April was so popular
last year that reinforcements are being called in for this year, and so it goes
on! 2017, our last full year before the opening of Broadway station to the
public on Good Friday 2018 is going to be a busy one on the running line.
But so too
will it be on the extension to Broadway as the time for opening draws ever
nearer!
The share
issue ‘Broadway – the last mile’ has gone very well with some £925,000 of the
£1,250,000 appeal raised at the time of writing. As soon as we reach the £1,000,000
point I think we will be able to see the end in sight but we will need all of
the rest of the cash by the close of the appeal on 30 April 2017.
The funds
raised have been put to good use as you are probably well aware. The Permanent
Way gang now have the rail laid as far as Peasebrook Farm and will commence
work on the station site in the New Year.
 |
| Recent picture from railhead looking north - yes! That's Broadway goods shed in the middle distance less than 1/2 mile away! |
The Broadway construction team have
pushed on with the station dramatically in the last 12 months. The footbridge
is in place and the brickwork of the station building has risen to above window
level with all the specialist bricks we paid so dearly for looking marvellously
authentic and worth every penny!
It is
remarkable what volunteers can achieve!
Again, all
good wishes to you and yours for the festive season and visit the railway as
often as you can in 2017!
Chris
Chris
Bristow
GWSR PLC
Finance Director
