By Save Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway and the Signal Box Inn
A campaign to save the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway and the Signal Box Inn has been launched.
Due to restrictions of the Covid-19 lockdown, both the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway and Signal Box Inn have now been closed for over 7 weeks.
Although the company have furloughed staff and taken advantage of Government support, they still have to meet the regular financial outlays with no income to provide for them.
The site, which has been bringing enjoyment to holiday-makers, day trippers and locals for over 70 years, and is a beloved attraction in the seaside town of Cleethorpes.
Sadly, directors do not expect the site to reopen anytime soon.
The small privately run enterprise is now facing considerable financial difficulty.
In an endeavor to keep the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway and Signal Box Inn operational, a crowdfunder page has been launched.
The main season usually runs from April to September, and is supported by a team of paid staff and volunteers.
A spokesperson for the railway said:
“It is clear that when we are next able to welcome visitors, things will not be the same.
“We will be redesigning our public areas to enforce social distancing and enhancing hygiene facilities; whilst the safety of our visitors and staff is our upmost priority, these measures will reduce our capacity significantly.
“It is going to be an extremely challenging year ahead.
“When this crisis broke, we were midway through making further improvements to our beer garden, developing a new picnic area, refurbishing a set of carriages and restoring a steam locomotive.
“These exciting projects that would benefit our visitors have now been put on hold and we have had to cancel a number of our special events.”
Adam Chalk, who has volunteered at the railway since he was eleven, added:
“Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway has almost missed half of its operational season.
“The directors of the railway have set up a crowd funding page to raise funds for the continuous maintenance of rolling stock and to prepare for a fabulous re-opening very soon.”
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