HRA-News-160-April-2020.Pdf
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April 2020 The official journal of THE HERITAGE RAILWAY ASSOCIATION Issue 160 UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE Three general managers talk about coping with lockdown New faces at the HRA! COVID-19 Advice and guidance Coal OFFERS 2020 Awards & winners update WANTS Chairman’s Briefing Dates for your Diary Dear Member, November 2020 Right now, you’re trying to see the future for your railway, or your museum, your tramway, your cliff railway. When can you reopen? 10th Autumn Seminar How will finances look? How long will it take things to get back to 11th Autumn Management Forum normal? You’re not alone. Thank goodness for the friendship and solidarity of the heritage railways movement. We’ve always been good at collaboration Inside this edition and sharing, from locomotives and rolling stock, through staff and equipment, to knowledge and ideas. I’m proud to say that the Chairman’s Briefing 2 Chief Exec’s Briefing 3 HRA has contributed to that solidarity and sharing. Today, we’re Covid -19 4 working even harder at our role of supporting all our members, Covid -19 HRA support 6 and helping you all to speak with one voice for the aid and Coal - latest news 10 consideration we’ll be needing over the weeks and months to Coal - key facts 13 come. New Faces at the HRA 14 Members News 15 We can’t help looking ahead. Many of you will be planning for a Friends Tour 16 long, dry season. And that’s wise work. But there’s also plenty of In Memoriam 17 important work to do today. Support Schemes 18 In this issue, you’ll find some interviews with General Managers, HRA Awards 2020 19 explaining how they’re responding to the current crisis. They have plenty of good advice. But they all say one thing. Keep in touch with your volunteers. Keep them engaged, keep them motivated. You’ll need them, up and running quickly, when restrictions are lifted. And, remember, for many of them, older-generation in particular, your railway may be one of the most useful and important parts of their lives. Your volunteers need as much care and protection as the locos you’ve now got locked away in their sheds. Those GMs also say communications are vital. Talk often with as many people in the organisation as you can. Through telephone, email, Skype and Facetime, and social media. That, way, everyone has the facts. Information stays accurate. People stay involved. And good ideas flow. Eleswhere in this issue, Steve Oates, our CEO, outlines the advice we’re compiling, and some of the actions we’re taking to identify help and support – of every kind – for members. Steve took a personal call from the Chairman of Network Rail a couple of weeks ago. If needed, could the UK’s heritage railways provide experienced staff, to help run the nations railways? That call was an honour. It acknowledged the capabilities and professionalism of the people who run our member railways. Those are the qualities, along with good old-fashioned railwayman (and woman) resourcefulness and resilience, that will enable us to weather this storm. There will be some bruises on the way, but I have no doubt we’ll weather this storm, and emerge stronger and, eventually, even better than ever. Yours, Brian Credit. Severn Valley Railway Page 2 News from Steve Oates - HRA Chief Executive Looking back at those three immensely tough weeks in March, it’s all a bit of a blur isn’t it? But – somehow – the heritage rail sector worked through it. The safety and wellbeing of staff and volunteers has been uppermost in everyone’s minds and measures had to be rapidly implemented to do all pos- sible to mitigate the impact on jobs and our businesses, and to protect infra- structure and assets. Consequently, emergency business changes have been made, the majority of heritage rail staff are now furloughed, volunteers are at home in lockdown, and all railways and tramways are in ‘care and maintenance’ mode. It’s now some five weeks since the full lockdown began. This period can best be described as one of the most difficult and testing times ever faced by heritage rail and, indeed, by business throughout the coun- try. The Covid-19 pandemic is having, and will continue to have, a massive impact on the whole heritage sec- tor. While some issues are specific to heritage rail, many of the challenges facing our sector are similar to those faced by other businesses in heritage, culture and tourism. As your trade association, to assist and support you, the HRA continues to ensure that heritage rail’s voice is clearly heard by decision-makers, funders and other support bodies. In conjunction with other heritage and tourism bodies, our combined work has ensured government and others have put measures in place to help and support heritage rail and, where necessary, to refine business support measures to ensure they apply to heritage rail and other heritage businesses. With your help, we’re also compiling the information and data needed to ensure gov- ernment understand the long-term impact on our sector. While the Covid-19 outbreak is devastating for heritage rail – and indeed for the whole tourism sector - now the initial ‘urgency’ has calmed down a little, there is still much to do. Those managers and staff still working are ploughing their way through a plethora of issues to ensure the nation’s heritage railways and tramways survive and are in the best possible position to rebound into life once ‘normal’ life resumes. There are volunteers who want to get back into the workshops, onto the trains and out in the stations; and there will (soon) be people and families desperate for some leisure and entertainment time. It is therefore essential we all use this time to our advantage – to spot and develop every opportunity that may arise. Heritage rail must do whatever it can to ensure our sector comes out the other side relatively intact and ready to grab those opportunities. Over the past two months, every railway, tramway and cliff railway has had to think differently and radically to maximise its chances of survival. That same radical thinking – and much new thinking – is now need- ed more than ever. Heritage railways are not in com- petition with each other. The com- petition comes from every other tourism, cultural, leisure and her- itage attraction fighting for its sur- vival. If ever there was a time for herit- age rail to work together, share ideas, deal with each other’s tech- nical and business questions, and speak as one voice, it’s now! Credit. IWSR John Faulkner Page 3 Useful Covid -19 links The HRA website has a page devoted to documents we hope you find useful in developing measures to help your organisations. Go to www.hra.uk.com/covid19-coronovirus Until Further Notice ......... To say that the COVID-19 outbreak has hit Britain’s heritage railways hard is both obvious, and an understatement. Railways, tramways, cliff railways, museums, large and small, are wondering when they’ll emerge from the pandemic, and what shape they’ll be in when they do. Many are wondering if they will emerge at all. At times like these, there’s strength in numbers, and help through shared experience. Some heritage rail operators, by luck or judgement, have a clearer view of a way through than others. We’ve been talking to some, in order to help them share their views and insights. We’ll continue to gather, collate and promote input from across the HRA membership, but here are contributions from Emma Jhita, Chief Exec at the Didcot Railway Centre, Steve Backhouse, Isle of Wight Steam Railway General Manager, and Helen Smith, General Manager at the Severn Valley Railway. UFN ‘We have 27 staff and over 400 volunteers we don’t yet see a doomsday scenario – we here at Didcot. Following our shutdown, calculate we can cope for up to six months. But our immediate steps included upscaling our the longer we’re shut down, the harder it will be IT, to allow virtual meetings. It’s imperative to get back on our feet. We’ve issued a call for that we follow Government guidelines and donations– the opportunity to donate has always protect visitors, volunteers, staff and the wider been there on our website, and will remain. community and so we’ve spent time really understanding these guidelines, working on 1466 – the first locomotive in our collection – financial modelling, and developing ways of should be back in steam in time for our 60th maintaining our presence in the marketplace. anniversary celebrations in 2021. We have just Emma Jhita, launched a £60,000 appeal to complete the Chief Executive, We’re very mindful of the duty of care we restoration of 1466. We feel it is important to Didcot Railway Centre have towards our volunteers. Many are of the ask for support for a tangible project, at such older-generation. Some of them live alone. a challenging time. One that will undoubtedly The railway is often very important to them add long-term value. We are looking ahead to and many have been involved for decades re-opening and celebrating this milestone with and are very actively involved, especially on GWS members and the wider heritage rail operating days. Communications are vital if community. we’re to maintain a strong connection with our volunteers and, where possible, our aim is to Security is of course an area of focus. We have look to the medium and long-term in ensuring a 21 acre site which needs constant vigilance.