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Full Steam Ahead To Help Preserve Local Heritage

Immediate release: 30 September 2007

Employees of the BGL Group, one of the UK's largest personal lines insurance intermediaries, have donated £200 to the Nene Valley Railway in Wansford, near Stamford.

Based at Pegasus House, Orton Southgate, near Peterborough, BGL has a valued commitment to contributing to local charities, causes and events in the area. It has set up 'Give' Committees at each of its sites in Peterborough, Coventry and Sunderland, and most recently at Pegasus House. These committees are allocated a budget each month, which they can choose to donate to local good causes based on requests or suggestions from colleagues or from the local community.

Compliance Monitoring Manager Melanie Church went along to the Nene Valley Railway to present the cheque to General Manager Cris Rees on Wednesday (September 26).

The money will go towards the many ongoing projects at the vintage steam railway - the largest of which includes a £160,000 project to buy, and ultimately restore, the original 1860 station building.

Nene Valley is one of just three private railways in the UK that can show children how mail used to be collected and dropped off from the moving trains. Years ago mail trains would swing out a mail bag from the moving coach and similarly, bags to be collected would be hung on a large arm on the platform, and as the train passed by at speed, the mail bag would be caught in a net.

Another major project for the NVR is the building of the new station at Yarwell Junction, the western extremity of the railway. The station is due to be officially opened in April next year.

Mr Rees said: "We are really grateful for any local support. It all helps maintain the historical railway to the prime educational and tourist attraction it is today. It takes a phenomenal amount of money to restore these trains and buildings. We have just bought one of the last mail coaches that were on sale as part of the original Travelling Post Office, and so we are now able to put the complete journey together. We are also currently restoring the last surviving mail coach from the 1963 Great Train Robbery, so we can definitely put the BGL Group's donation to a good cause."

Melanie Church, of Group Compliance, said: "The Give Committee agreed to support the Nene Valley Railway because it's a good local cause. We often give to youth groups and kids football clubs. This was something a bit different. I think most people in the area who has a small child or grandchild has taken them on the Nene Valley Railway, so we are pleased to be able to support their ongoing efforts."