C & PRR Railway

Princes Risborough North Signal Box: How the Project is Funded

It isn't! Yet.

The restoration of the Princes Risborough North Signal Box is one project among a small number that the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway Association is undertaking. For example it is also running appeals for overhauling a carriage, and for building a new train maintenance shed.

The Association is a registered charity, and its activities are funded from a mix of sources: the small surplus from the operation of its train services; catering and bookshop activities; donations and legacies from members and the public. As a charity it is able to claim gift aid on donations when the donor consents (a way of reclaiming tax you have already paid).

The North Box project is larger than most we have done. The cost will depend on how much is done by volunteers and how much we can afford to get done more quickly by contractors, but it is likely to be between £100,000 and £200,000 over several years. Unless we stumble upon a particularly generous benefactor, we are going to need to tap some additional sources of funding for this one.

There are numerous funding bodies and trusts which offer grants to worthy heritage projects. The National Lottery is one example, but there are lots of smaller ones. We need to start identifying which ones might be interested in supporting this project, and putting in applications. This is a pretty demanding process; some bodies require massive amounts of information presented in particular ways. Many have rules about matching percentages of funding, or participation of volunteers etc.. In order to prepare all those applications, we ideally need to find people who have some experience in the field, and get them on board as volunteers. Alternatively we need to find supporters who WANT experience in that field, and give them the opportunity! If this sounds up your street, please get involved (button on the left).

We need to find local (?) firms who will sponsor our activities. This might be a simple advertising arrangement whereby a contribution to our funds yields credits on signage, on our website, and in the magazine. Alternatively a sponsor might supply kit we need. Is there a timber supplier or specialist staircase manufacturer who would like the credit for restoring the staircase in the pictures? Or a glazing firm who sees all those windows overlooking the railway as a showcase?Again, we could do with finding a volunteer with expertise in the field of sponsorship who will join us and drum up some business.

Returning to individual supporters, we have already started an appeal for seedcorn funding (see button on left). This has so far only been presented to our usual audience: members of and visitors to the Chinnor Railway. Once the project gets into gear, we have other groups to approach: surely there will be people who have used Princes Risborough station over the years and remember the Box as the splendid landmark it once was. Wouldn't you like to see it restored? Also, there must be many around the country who would like to support the return to glory of the largest surviving Great Western Railway signal box? We just need to find you all.

As detailed elsewhere, we are not able to start on major works until agreement on land transfer is finally reached with Network Rail. However we are doing “holding” work to prevent further deterioration and prepare for the full restoration. If you would like to help, we would be most grateful for your donations. Would you consider a standing order, which would give us some helpful funding now, but would also build up as we get nearer to the more expensive phases? Please click on the “Support our Appeal” button on the left.

The Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway Association is a registered charity. It and the railway it owns are operated, managed, developed and maintained entirely by volunteers.