Category Archives: National Lottery Heritage Fund

National Lottery Heritage Fund, Other News, The Packet

The National Lottery Heritage Fund Bid Outcome

We announced at our Annual General Meeting in June 2024 that we met the deadline and submitted our highly detailed National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) Stage One application. The application was completed along with our strategic application partners; The Swindon and Cricklade Railway, and our planned home for main line running The Yeovil Railway Centre.

The board thanks all our members that assisted with the funding of the Stage One application.

Unfortunately, we have been advised that our stage one bid has been rejected on the basis that the proposed programme, planned within the constraints of the NLHF’s guidelines, would, in their opinion, take much longer and cost considerably more. This would place the long term sustainability of the project at risk. The bottom line was that the substantial cost of our project, together with its complexity and inherent high risk, did not represent value for the NLHF.

Whilst we can’t go forward with this application the NLHF has stated they would be happy to offer us advice with a smaller, less complex and lower risk project. We are therefore already in discussion with the NLHF regarding the viability of a 2nd application that, alongside the engineering work, would place an emphasis on community engagement, young people, skills development, apprenticeships and diversity. The NLHF recognised the quality and detail of our application and submitting a scaled down and less complex application should not incur much additional cost.

Whilst the outcome is of course disappointing, the vast amount of work and content that was completed and necessary for the bid is just as relevant and necessary for the project going forwards and puts us in a stronger position than we were prior to making the bid.

The board is currently reviewing the future structure, personnel and options for the project and initiating discussions with both existing and potential new strategic partners.

We aim to provide more details of the strategic plan for the future and progress on engineering in the next issue of the members magazine The Packet.  We will also confirm if our follow up conversations with the NLHF have been constructive and will result in us pursuing a 2nd application. Our initial EOI was rejected, and we were invited to make some changes and resubmit, which led to a pass at that stage.

Whilst the outcome is of course disappointing, we reiterate that the work, content and involvement of our strategic partners within the application is hugely beneficial to the project and the current board remain committed to the aim of recreating General Steam Navigation to her original as-built condition complete with air smooth casing and Bulleid’s unique patented chain driven valve gear.

if you are not already a member, for details on how to join and click here.

National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Packet

National Lottery Heritage Fund Stage one application submitted

Having had our Expression of interest accepted by the London and South Panel of the National Lottery Heritage Fund in June 2023, we announced at our Annual General Meetings on Saturday 29th June 2024 that we met the deadline and submitted our highly detailed Stage One application that comprised of an over 20,000 word application along with 93 separate supporting documents. This application has been completed along with our strategic application partners; our restoration home, The Swindon and Cricklade Railway, and our planned home for main line running The Yeovil Railway Centre.

We hope to learn if we have been successful with the application to move making a Stage Two – development application in late September 2024.

Further details on the application will be with the next issue of our members magazine The Packet, if you are not already a member, for details on how to join and click here.

National Lottery Heritage Fund, Other News

General Steam Navigation welcomes visit by Justin Tomlinson, MP for North Swindon

General Steam Navigation CIC (GSNCIC) welcomed Justin Tomlinson, MP for North Swindon, who visited Blunsdon at the Swindon & Cricklade Railway to view 35011 General Steam Navigation and discuss the current application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The application is focussed around the reconstruction and restoration of the Merchant Navy Pacific to original Bulleid condition, making it unique in preservation. Whilst the work on 35011 meets the “Saving Heritage” element of the bid, the other key Heritage Fund investment principles will be partially addressed with a new building at Blunsdon (which will be a Swindon & Cricklade Railway asset) to encompass engineering facilities together with training and education spaces.

L to R – Jon Netting (Treasurer – General Steam Navigation), Cllr Matt Vallender, David Tucker (Heritage Consultant), Justin Tomlinson MP, Robert Battersby (Architect), Nigel Willoughby (Trustee S&C Rly), Cllr Mark Clarke, Cllr Jason Mills, Gerry Leyman (Chair – General Steam Navigation CIC), Mike Abbott (Chair – S&C Rly).

Justin was accompanied by 3 local councillors, Mark Clarke (Cricklade Town), Matt Vallender and Jason Mills (Swindon Borough).

Following the visit Justin said “We will all be working together as they prepare their National Heritage Lottery fund bid. The Swindon & Cricklade Railway is a much loved and popular local service, so I have no doubt there will be strong local community support for this bid.

I have fed in a number of suggestions on how to strengthen the bid including working with a wide a range of local community groups, including all the local schools, Parish Council’s and the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust.

As someone from a family of steam enthusiasts, I am very excited to be supporting this fantastic bid”.

National Lottery Heritage Fund, Other News, Patron

General Steam Navigation announces new patron – Dr Alice Bunn OBE FIMechE FRAeS CEng

General Steam Navigation Locomotive CIC (GSNCIC) announce that Dr Alice Bunn has agreed to become patron of the project to restore the Bulleid Merchant Navy pacific locomotive 35011 to her original condition.

Dr Alice Bunn on site at Blunsdon with Jon Netting (Treasurer) and Gerry Leyman (Chairman) of the General Steam Navigation CIC.

Dr. Alice Bunn OBE (FIMechE FRAeS CEng) is the Chief Executive of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). She has previously served as the International Director at the UK Space Agency. Alice is responsible for increasing the UK’s global influence in science, security, and trade through space. She has a background in metallurgy and has worked in various organisations such as the Science Museum, London, and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Alice has also played a significant role in international collaborations and agreements related to space missions and satellite imagery.

Alice sits on the Board of EngineeringUK; is Chair of the Professional Engineering Committee; is President of the UKSpace trade association; acts as advisor to Orbitfab; and sits on the World Economic Forum Future Council on space technology. She is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, has a PhD in Metallurgy from Darwin College, University of Cambridge and received an OBE in the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to the UK space sector and to charity.

Alice joins the General Steam Navigation project at a pivotal time, lending credibility and support to the GSNCIC’s Heritage Fund Lottery application and will help raise the profile of the project to put the steam back into General Steam Navigation at a national level.

As Chief Executive of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Alice has a direct connection with O V S Bulleid, who was President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1946.

On becoming patron Alice said, ‘Whilst engineering technology is more important than ever for our future, we can always learn lessons from the past which is why I am delighted to take up the role of patron for this project’.

Dr Alice Bunn is presented with a print of General Steam Navigation in original condition by Jon Netting

Alice visited Blunsdon to look over General Steam Navigation in early October where she met members of the General Steam Navigation directors / Society Trustees and the Swindon and Cricklade Railway where the locomotive is based. Alice learned more about the ongoing work to restore and reconstruct General Steam Navigation to its pre rebuilt air smoothed condition, making it unique in preservation. Alice was made an honorary member of the Restoration Society and presented with a print of General Steam Navigation in original as built condition.