UNDAUNTED SWANAGE RAILWAY SUPPORTERS PRESS ON WITH CHURCHILL'S FUNERAL VAN MUSEUM PROJECT THANKS TO £5000 OFFER - 2nd April 2009

Update from Steve Doughty - 2nd April 2009
Project Leader, Swanage Railway Trust.
Photographs are copyright Andrew P.M. Wright, official photographer & press officer, Swanage Railway, unless otherwise noted.
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After an 8000 mile voyage from California via the Panama Canal, Southern Railway van S2464S - or the Churchill Car as it is better known to our USA friends - arrived at Southampton on the 'Tamerlane' in 2007. Shown with Sir Winston Churchill's funeral van - Southern Railway van S2464S - at Southampton Docks are Swanage Railway Trust Project Leader, Steve Doughty (extreme left) with, next to him, James Cox Swanage Railway Locomotive, Carriage & Wagon Manager and the team who loaded the van onto the low-loader on Wednesday 3rd October 2007.

Steve Doughty writes:

Buoyed by the success of the first passenger train visit to Swanage from the main line in nearly 40 years, Swanage Railway Trust volunteers are pressing ahead with plans for the Churchill Van Museum Project thanks to the generous offer of up to £5000 by a supporter.

Swanage Railway Trust supporters will know that the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) declined to support the Trust's £50,000 bid to restore the Churchill funeral van and use this to house a museum focussing on the role of railways in the Second World War. However, discussions are continuing with the HLF and we intend to submit a revised bid which we hope will meet with greater success.

Readers of Heritage Railway magazine will have also seen the short report (right) which explains that one of our supporters has made a generous offer to match pound for pound donations to the project until the end of April 2009, subject to a £5000 ceiling.

This offer of funding from such an unexpected source will allow us to raise additional funds whilst demonstrating to the HLF the real enthusiasm for this project by our supporters, and it is vital that we raise our matching sum to benefit fully from this offer.

I am grateful to those who have already contributed to the costs of returning van S2464S to the UK. However, we do still need to raise much more to finish the job so even if you have already contributed please consider sending a cheque to the Swanage Railway Trust (Churchill Project), Station House, Swanage, DORSET BH19 1HB or via our website at this link.

Steve Doughty
Project Leader, Swanage Railway Trust
2nd April 2009

The coffin bearer party from the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars places the coffin in
van S2464S on the funeral train on 30 January 1965 (PA).

HOW TO SUPPORT THE CHURCHILL FUNERAL VAN PROJECT

Donations to the Churchill project can be made to the Swanage Railway Trust (Churchill Fund), Station House, Swanage, Dorset BH19 1HB or on-line by debit or credit card via the Trust's website at 'www.swanagerailwaytrust.org.uk' by following this link.

Please click here to visit the Swanage Railway Trust Appeals section at http://www.swanagerailwaytrust.org.uk/appeals/index.htm#Churchill

Sir Winston Churchill's funeral train catafalque started its long journey back to the UK from the USA on Monday 13th August 2007, when preparations began at the Industry Hills golf resort near Los Angeles for its move to the port of Long Beach. For a full photo report of the preparations for the journey, please click here, and click here for photos of the first photos of the arrival at Southampton on 24th September 2007. Further photos of the removal from Southampton Docks on Wednesday 3rd October 2007 can be found here

Contact details:
Steve Doughty
Deputy Chairman
Swanage Railway Trust
Station House
Swanage
DORSET
BH19 1HB
Tel: 07860-108754
Email: stephen.doughty1@btopenworld.com

Churchill News Links Index:

Volunteers press on with Churchill's Funeral Van Museum Project - 02/04/09
Setback for volunteers as Churchill's funeral van is refused Lottery funding Sept 2008 - 30/09/08
Handover of Sir Winston Churchill's Funeral Van No. S2464S (150 photos) - 03/10/07
Sir Winston Churchill's Funeral Van No. S2464S Repatriation (5 photos) - 28/09/07
Sir Winston Churchill's Funeral Van No. S2464S Repatriation (updated 50 photos) - 19/08/07
Sir Winston Churchill's Funeral Train Van No. S2464S £40,000 Repatriation Project - 29/08/06
BBC news item - Cash needed to save Churchill van - 31/08/06