Tornado

But had anyone actually stopped donating as a result of the recent decisions? Even amongst those on this forum?

 

I believe some have, I think (BICBW) that @Johnb is one such person. I certainly don't respond to their begging letters any more and if the money can be ring-fenced, my covenant to 60163 will go to the restoration of the Diagram 245 coach the GNRS has secured that now lives at Quainton Road instead.

 

You only have to look at the last very thin TCC and the little information that they give on fundraising (nothing on Tornado, incomplete on PoW) to see that it has stalled. Some open clubs haven’t recruited a single new member in over a year. They have never publish how much the long forgotten overhaul club raised of its £50k target and haven’t published covenantor numbers for a long time.

I’ve reduced my monthly donation to the minimum for each loco, down from many times that, and no longer subscribe to new fundraising initiatives. This will remain until there is regime change.

 

I wonder if any pertinent questions were asked at the Q&A yesterday?

 

And if so whether any pertinent answers were given.

 

After my visit to see the P2, i left all of my contact details, ready to start a monthly payment towards her eventual completion.

The reason being i have contributed towards 60007, after transferring from Tornado, as it went down south chasing the cash, and we no longer got to see her.

Turn the clock forward, and exactly the same has happened with 60007, its now at Crewe, seems incapable of starting an excursion from even York, and despite promises, and a new operating base in Carlisle, still nothing.

For me it is important to see what i am contributing to, and if things change, so do i, the idea of a base for 60163, and a new build, eventually starting again, appeals.

However, i never heard anything, this was about a month ago, dont know if others are in the same boat.......

 

Is there not already someone on the books for the A1 group who is paid a salary to fundraise?

 

I have emailed them saying
"Unless you can convince me that management of the Trust is improving
dramatically, I will cancel future payments to you (apart from any
railtour bookings that happen to appeal to me)."

 

The response to that - if any - would be interesting.

Just had a peer at the back page of TCC: I can see a few people charged with the terms 'finance' and 'commercial' but not specifically 'fundraiser'.

 

Assuming that it gets to being in a fit state to undertake rail tours, that is.

 

Yes the wife of former trustee Graeme Bunker James

 

I don't think it needs to go to Wales any more - the test track at Melton Mowbray fully reopened in June I believe after the landslip in December 2023.

 

I have had this response, which is a good start:

I am suggesting that the P2 ProjectLead is perhaps not the most appropriate person, considering that the concerns in the last two or so years have been more about Tornado.

 

The Council...?!

 

I hear she is currently on maternity leave, no idea if they have any cover in place and furthermore that the office manager is leaving shortly and her assistant has retired.

 

As per post upthread I have scaled my regular subs back to the bare minimum and transferred the rest to Clan Hengist, along with additional funds I was going to covenant to the P2. I will review again if and when there’s solid evidence that the Trust have taken action to restructure the organisation to correct the numerous failings of recent years, restore the credibility of the Trust and the reliability of the locomotive (not forgetting delivering the P2 in a timely fashion too ).

 

As an aside …. did anyone ever see this video of the boiler rework over a year ago?

 

But the actions of one or a few subscribers on this forum don't really give a broader picture.

 

Other supporters who don't come here may or may not be as conscious of the (apparent) failings of the present management. Whether many former supporters have ceased to contribute might perhaps become apparent from the Trust's accounts.