@emilyhstott

The East Kent Railway desperately needs to raise £10,000 by next summer to build an engine shed for repairs and expand the heritage attraction.

The plan is to build a permanent steel shed at its Shepherdswell base in order to continue the restoration of the heritage vehicles under cover from the elements.

Apprentices will help lay the required track but the railway is in desperate need of funds to cover the costs.

The ARC Academy in Aylesham runs an apprenticeship scheme and has moved their operations to the site at Shepherdswell, where they will learn to be track maintainers.

Clearing woodland

At the moment all repairs are done out in the open, which digital communications officer Josh Watkins says makes them nearly impossible to complete.

He added: “At the moment it is almost impossible to do repairs out in the open.

“If it rains we can’t do any painting and if someone is painting on the roof and it starts raining they could slip.”

Volunteers are currently clearing 17 acres of woodland to accommodate the engine shed.

Mr Watkins said: “We desperately need this engine shed. This would be a really big thing for us as without it we don’t have a chance of securing funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

“We’ve just opened a new cafe down at Eythorne and we’re planning to do more fish and chip and curry nights where you can get the train from Shepherdswell and if it’s a nice evening sit on the platform at Eythorne or inside the carriage.”

The heritage railway has been running since 1995 and has become more successful in the past year.

Mr Watkins added: “We’ve had such a lack of volunteers and funding that it has only just started to take off this year.

“We have doubled our visitor numbers in the last year and we want to be the biggest tourist attraction in this part of the county, and for that we need the engine shed.”

Donations can be made by post to The East Kent Railway, Station Road, Shepherdswell, CT15 7PD or online by visiting www.everyclick.com/sponsorourshed

Collection buckets will also be around at the railway as well as the opportunity to take part in fundraising events throughout the forth coming year. For more information visit the website at www.eastkentrailway.co.uk