Full steam ahead for cash boost

4:00pm Saturday 6th September 2008

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A successful charity steam train excursion over the Settle-Carlisle line which was dedicated to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance has raised around £1,500.

Roger Hardingham, of Kingfisher Railtours, donated £2 from the sale of each ticket to the charity and was delighted to welcome more than 250 passengers on the trip.

A locomotive headboard displaying the name Dalesman Yorkshire Air Ambulance which had been financed by Hayden Fortune of Wigglesworth was auctioned at Carlisle Railway Station and raised a further £450.

Settle Voices accompanied the train and sang about the hardship involved in building the famous line while Yorkshire TV weatherman Jon Mitchell, patron of the YAA, gave a forecast.

In addition there were raffles, a donation from Booths Supermarket in Settle and buckets where people could donate money.

Organiser Ruth Evans, a Friend of the Settle-Carlisle line, said the event had been a great success and was going to be put in next year’s diary.

Meanwhile the Friends of Settle-Carlisle Line are giving walkers another opportunity to boost the funds of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance charity through a series of sponsored treks.

They are all guided and include a history walk, geology walk, archaeological walk and general walking. All start and finish at Ribblehead Station.

All the walks take place on Saturday September 20. Sponsorship forms can be downloaded from the website: ettle-carlisle.co.uk/walks.