Since its earliest days in the 1980s, the East Lancashire Railway has always been reliant on the passion and dedication of a veritable army of volunteers, as well as a small number of paid staff, to keep the doors open and keep things on track. Without their hard work and their sacrifices, often giving up weekends or working early mornings and late nights, the ELR could not exist.

On Sunday 28 June, as a way to show our appreciation for the folks who (literally in some cases) make the wheels go round, the railway held a thank-you event in their honour. Featuring music, food and of course a drink or two, over 150 staff and volunteers, including friends and partners, attended what turned out to be a very special evening.

Chairman of the ELR Mike Kelly said:

“These are challenging times for heritage railways, and we are deeply grateful for the ongoing support from very committed people to preserve the heritage railway as we look forward to celebrating 40 years of operations in July 2027. It was good to see everyone, who could make our pie and pea supper, to let their hair down and quite a few even doing the conga, good on them!”

Alex Thomas, Director of Volunteer Workforce, said:

“Volunteers, staff and their partners came together for a fantastic social evening on Sunday, celebrating the teamwork and friendship that are at the heart of our organization.

Held at a superb venue, guests enjoyed excellent food, great music and most importantly the opportunity to relax, socialize and get to know one another away from the day-to-day activities of the railway. The evening was a tremendous success, with a wonderful atmosphere throughout.

The event had been planned for some time as a way of recognizing the invaluable contributions made by everyone who gives their time, commitment and enthusiasm.

Strengthening relationships and reinforcing the sense of community is so important to our continued success.

Following positive feedback, we hope this will become an annual event. Looking ahead, we could explore the introduction of awards to recognize individuals and teams who have demonstrated outstanding dedication, commitment and service throughout the year.

A huge thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the evening such an enjoyable occasion.

We look forward to building on its success and making it an established part of our annual calendar.”

The event was kindly hosted by the Stables Country Club in Bury, which offered to open its doors to the ELR at a significant discount as a show of support for a fellow Lancastrian institution.

Stables Country Club Managing Director Jonathan Butterworth said:

“It was an absolute pleasure to support such an important visitor attraction for Bury and its surrounding communities. The East Lancashire Railway plays a vital role in bringing visitors to our area, and we are incredibly proud to have such a jewel in our crown right on our doorstep.

The dedication, passion and hard work of the volunteers and staff are truly remarkable. They deserve enormous credit for preserving and promoting this treasured heritage railway, and we extend our sincere thanks and congratulations to the entire team at the East Lancashire Railway.”

The East Lancashire Railway would like to take one final opportunity to thank all the staff and volunteers who have given their time and energy to keep this spark of British history alive. We’ll see you on board!