THE West Somerset Railway ‘has turned the corner and the future is truly bright for all of us,’ railway chairman Jonathan Jones-Pratt has told staff and supporters in an end-of-year message.

He said he had been ‘saddened by difficult events’ but was hopeful things would start to return to normal in 2021. The WSR was in ‘a good strong position and we can now all have confidence about our future’.

Mr Jones-Pratt said the past year had been one of the most challenging in the history of the railway. Already in a difficult financial situation before Covid-19, the board had to act fast to try and protect the assets after it became clear the pandemic was going to affect operations in 2020.

“We took the difficult decision to suspend all operations during the main season. With hindsight it has proved the right way forward. We were able to furlough our key staff and hence protect the WSR without being exposed to debilitating costs, which may have bankrupted the railway and for paid staff to lose their jobs.

“In the end, we made it through this difficult period, largely thanks to the generosity of our supporters and the hard work that led to a successful application for a large grant from the Cultural Recovery Fund for Heritage.

“Unlike many other heritage railways faced with a similar situation, we have been able to survive the crisis without making any redundancies and jeopardising the WSR’s future prospects,” Mr Jones-Pratt said.

“With the vaccination programme now under way, we are all hopeful things can start to return to normal next year, albeit with a likely restricted service during the first part of the season as we seek to renew the crossing at Seaward Way, Minehead.”

For the full story see this week’s West Somerset Free Press.