Peak Rail plc to receive £114,000 from second round of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund

• Peak Rail plc is among more than 2,700 recipients to benefit from the latest round of awards from the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund 
• This award covering the period from April to June 2021 will help enable Peak Rail plc with the costs it faces as its starts to welcome back visitors and volunteers and makes the transition towards a full re-opening.

Peak Rail plc in Derbyshire has received a grant of £114,000 from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help the organisation recover and reopen.

Nearly £400 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country including Peak Rail in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today.

Peak Rail is a heritage railway, operating both nostalgic steam and diesel trains through the Derbyshire countryside from Rowsley South to Matlock Platform 2. The railway is mostly operated by a loyal and dedicated band of volunteers and is home to various railway groups who help and support the railway.

This award will help sustain the railway over the coming months until we can run at our full capacity.

Over £800 million in grants and loans has already been awarded to support almost 3,800 cinemas, performance venues, museums, heritage sites and other cultural organisations dealing with the immediate challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

This brings the Government’s total investment across grants, capital and repayable finance from the Culture Recovery Fund so far to more than £1.2 billion across over 5,000 individual cultural and heritage organisations and sites.

The second round of awards made today will help organisations to look ahead to the spring and summer and plan for reopening and recovery. After months of closures and cancellations to contain the virus and save lives, this funding will be a much-needed helping hand for organisations transitioning back to normal in the months ahead.

Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, said:

“Our record breaking Culture Recovery Fund has already helped thousands of culture and heritage organisations across the country survive the biggest crisis they’ve ever faced.

Now we’re staying by their side as they prepare to welcome the public back through their doors – helping our cultural gems plan for reopening and thrive in the better times ahead.” 

Jackie Statham, Managing Director of Peak Rail plc said:

“We are delighted to have been awarded this grant, which means we will be able to reopen the railway after a 12 month period of closure. Peak Rail is a valuable local heritage venue which attracts visitors and volunteers of all ages and this grant will enable us to continue offering those experiences as well as preserving our site for future generations. I would like to take this opportunity to thank both the Peak Railway Association and Derwent and Wye Valley Trust for their valuable input in helping us achieve this grant, together with the various groups and shareholders for their kind letters of support.”

 Ros Kerslake, CEO of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:

 “Spring is definitely here, bringing not only sunshine but that sense of optimism and hope for the future. We are all looking forward to heritage places and other visitor  attractions reopening and I am very pleased that we have been able to support DCMS in delivering this vital funding to ensure the UK’s heritage sector can rebuild and thrive, boosting local economies, creating jobs and supporting personal wellbeing.”

Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England, said:

“The value of our heritage sites and the people who run them has been amply demonstrated, as they have provided an anchor for so many of us through the dark    days of the last year. Vital grants from the Culture Recovery Fund have helped them survive and will now help them recover, as the places we all cherish start to reopen in the months ahead.”

The funding awarded today is from a £400 million pot which was held back last year to ensure the Culture Recovery Fund could continue to help organisations in need as the public health picture changed. The funding has been awarded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England as well as the British Film Institute and Arts Council England

NEWS