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WINTER GALA SUCCESS
Posted on 02/02/10
newsdesk
Takings soar as Lostock and a Few Smoking Barrels sets pulses racing
The three day Winter Gala at the Great Central Railway has been declared a great success. The event saw nearly four thousand people head to the Leicestershire Line, hundreds more than for the same event in 2009.
Takings roared ahead of last years event as well. Almost 70,000 was taken over the three days, 15,000 up on the same gala last year. It puts the Winter Gala within a stones throw of the October Gala in terms of earning power.
"We put the success down to a very strong line up of locomotives," said GCR president Bill Ford. "With eight engines in steam and the Lostock Hall shed theme, it was clearly an event which caught the imagination of enthusiasts. A big thank you goes to everyone who supported the event by visiting us. I met visitors from around the country and one who had flown in from America!"
Some local guest houses also reported being fully booked.
During the weekend the railway was also inspected by representatives from the "Vistor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme" (VAQAS). The line received a good rating. The new tea room at Rothley and the wartime atmosphere at Quorn station were particularly praised by the inspector.
The railway also used the weekend to begin fundraising for its canopy restoration appeal. Half a million pounds needs to be raised over the next two years to completely repair and restore the grade two listed glass roof at Loughborough Central. Already fifty thousand pounds has been pledged to the project, with a further 1000 being collected over the gala weekend.
"We'd like to thank everyone who was so generous." commented Bill. "We will officially start the appeal in March 2010 and hope to begin work on the first phase of the restoration shortly after."
The next major gala event at the Great Central is the 1960s event. With a return visit due from celebrity 'new build' engine Tornado and the addition of standard four number 80072 to the line up, the event has been extended to four days - the 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th March 2010. Organisers hope the success of the Lostock event will be a springboard to even bigger things this year.
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