Welcome to North Staffordshire Railway Co. (1978) Ltd.

Dear Prospective Member,

Thank you for your interest in becoming a member of the North Staffordshire Railway Company (1978) Ltd, the charitable support body of the Churnet Valley Railway (1992) PLC. As a member you will receive our tri-annual full-colour house magazine, The Knotty, and you will be entitled to travel discounts on non-event days. On occasions we also run member events where you get advance notice or further discounts depending on the type of event being run, plus the opportunity to play a part yourself.

We have over 600 members of the Trust, and their continued support has enabled us to offer a high level of assistance to the Railway, both volunteer and financial, even at short notice. Over the years we have been able to fund many projects which would not otherwise have been possible. Improved welfare facilities, support for volunteer projects and significant funding to help the Operating Company have all been achieved because of the ever-faithful support of our membership. By joining today, you will help us to keep steam alive in Staffordshire's hidden valley for people to discover time and time again.

The company has four main objectives to focus its attention on:

• Education - to teach the history and developments of railways within North Staffordshire
• Fundraising - to raise finance for projects that enhance the heritage along the Churnet Valley
• Museum - to assist with the ongoing preservation of Cheddleton station, and display company railwayana relating to the workings of railways within North Staffordshire
• Volunteering - to promote the social benefits of playing an active role in the Churnet Valley Railway

All of these are achieved by the efforts of our dedicated volunteer teams, which you are more than welcome to join. Doing so presents plenty of opportunities to help operate this gem of a Railway, at the same time as meeting new friends with similar interests. There are a variety of roles available to help keep the trains moving, from the obvious operation of trains through to the behind the scenes maintenance and passenger service roles. There is so much more to it than just running trains!

Past experience is not necessary as full training will be provided where needed, along with lots of encouragement along the way. Our Volunteer Liaison Officer is ready and waiting to discuss all that is involved in becoming a part of our community, that feels like an extended family to many of our current volunteers.

We look forward to welcoming you as a member and being part of the Churnet Valley Railway. With our long-held dream of extending into Leek gaining more momentum, and potential for even further expansions after, now really is the time to get involved with one of the most exciting heritage railway projects to be found in the UK.

Yours sincerely,

Howard Bould

Chairman, North Staffordshire Railway Company (1978) Ltd