Legacies

It is now 75 years since the process of restoring the Ffestiniog Railway commenced, yet, despite vast strides, we still have a long way to go before we have the railway we want. Another fifty or one hundred years may see projects such as the Dinas branch undertaken, a definitive museum, or even construction of carriages that only existed in Spooner’s imagination.

Facing facts, none of us – young or old – will ever see the job completed. Wood will continue to decay, paint will peel, steel rust and passengers and trains will keep wearing out whatever we build. Restoring the railway is a job that will go on for ever. Yet even when the journey of our lives reaches the terminus, we can help the Ffestiniog steam onward by leaving a legacy.

The Benefits of Bequests

In the last few years bequests have been of great benefit. We have been able to rebuild locomotives, help volunteers, rewire Boston Lodge workshops and improve stations, all due to those who remembered the FR in their will.

Have you included the Ffestiniog Railway Society in yours? It is actually rather surprising that only 14% of wills proven include a gift to a charity. Bequests of any size are more than welcome and, as the Society is now a charity, it may help to prevent your estate from paying inheritance tax. You could make a general bequest or leave it for a specific project. It is one such gift that has resulted in the construction of a replica Victorian folly – the Spooner Boat.

Set up a Fund in Someone’s Memory

If you feel it appropriate, it is now also easy to set up a fundraising webpage in someone’s memory – a powerful way of honouring their life in a good cause.

For further information, including how to make a bequest to the Ffestiniog Railway as part your will, please contact:

The Secretary
Ffestiniog Railway Society
Harbour Station
Porthmadog
Gwynedd
LL49 9NF

E: fundraising@ffestiniograilway.org.uk