Hello All, please find attached a link to the latest HRA news. Plenty of interesting information in this edition including the West Lancs, plus latest Covid-19 Heritage Railway news including a heritage railway survey we took part in. Hope you find in useful? Keep safe and well. Mike https://mcusercontent.com/3da9cacf7905c852d0be44d1e/files/15c5529b-66e8-40c3-ba17-4fe0bf5a1d30/HRA_News_April_2020.pdf

Hello All, I hope you are all surviving this COVID-19 isolation? I'm sure many of you are like me and desperate to get back to the railway and get our winter projects finished off. I don't know how or when we will be allowed to return to normal volunteering, although I suspect it will be bit by bit. That said, once we return, we really need a couple of weeks at least to complete outstanding work, including finishing the annual steam testing of our engines, before we can start operating passenger trains again. Keep a watch on this forum for updates. This season, I hope that we will be moving to this Web messaging system for the Roster Group. The old Yahoo group is rapidly becoming out of date and unsupported. This web based system will be our replacement. I'm sure that once we get into it, it will be just as easy as the Yahoo system, plus you also get access to other useful areas in the members only section of our website. Let us know what you like and don't like. We can then make the system work for us. Instructs how to join the members site, if you are not a member already will be sent to the Yahoo Roster group. The hope being that we close the Yahoo Group by the end of April. My thanks go to Glenn, Derek and Froddy for their help getting this new messaging system live. Finally, if any one on this group needs a hand for shopping, prescriptions etc, drop me a line and we will sort something out. westlancsrlychair@gmail.com Best wishes, keep safe and well. See you on the other side. Mike

Many thanks to the members who helped operate today’s visit from our German tour party. Despite the weather, our guest had a great time and asked to pass on their thanks to you all. Another successful day at the railway. Thank you. Mike

Just a thank you note to all the members who took part in the recent EGM, both attending and proxy voting. It was a superb turnout for a very important meeting. Nearly 50% of the membership attended the meeting. I really belI eve this is a pivotal moment in the future of our railway. It is loud and clear that you the members wish the railway to stay in Hesketh Bank and continue to be operated as a volunteer organistaion. This does not mean we won’t be professional in what we do but we will driven by the wishes of the members and the requirements of our visitors. Continuing the friendly welcome we are rightly known for. No doubt their will be a few more hiccups to resolve before we complete on the land, which we will overcome, but the future is bright and something to look forward too. if you haven’t done already, don’t forget we need your financial support, every little bit Helps. Best wishes, Mike