Tanfield Railway secures £130,000 Reece Foundation Grant to drive future skills and volunteer growth

Tanfield Railway has been awarded a £130,000 grant from the Reece Foundation to launch a three-year initiative aimed at strengthening volunteer development and expanding engineering opportunities for young people.

The investment follows the railway’s landmark 300th anniversary celebrations in 2025 and recent national recognition as the Heritage Railway Association’s “Railway of the Year.”

The funded programme, Tanfield Tracks: Pioneering People on the World’s Oldest Railway, will create a new People Development and Youth Engagement Manager role. This post will lead efforts to grow the railway’s volunteer team to 300 active volunteers by 2027 and establish a more structured, professional approach to volunteer recruitment, training and retention.

The project will also deliver targeted engagement with 300 young people aged 10–25, developing hands-on pathways into STEM through heritage engineering, restoration, and railway operations. Thirty young participants will take on dedicated volunteer roles, gaining experience designed to help overcome barriers to education and employment.

The announcement comes shortly after Tanfield’s success at the Heritage Railway Association Awards on 7 March, where the organisation was named Railway of the Year and Ben Wilson received the Lord Faulkner Young Volunteer of the Year award, affirming the railway’s leadership in youth engagement and volunteer development.

David Watchman, Tanfield Railway General Manager, said:
“Coming off the back of our incredible 300th anniversary in 2025 and our recent success at the Heritage Railway Association Awards, it is vital that we don’t just look back at our history, but firmly toward our future.

“This support from the Reece Foundation allows us to turn that anniversary momentum into a lasting legacy. People are at the centre of everything we achieve at Tanfield and by investing in a dedicated Manager to manage, mentor and engage with our volunteers and the next generation, we are ensuring that the skills required to maintain the world’s oldest railway are passed across in our region, providing tangible STEM opportunities and a sense of pride in our shared industrial railway heritage”.

Simon Gilroy, Reece Foundation Trustee, said:
“We’re really pleased that the Reece Foundation is able to support Tanfield Railway and their Tanfield Tracks project. It’s a fantastic way for young people to gain hands-on experience in engineering, restoration and teamwork, while also connecting with their local heritage.

“Bringing volunteers together in this way not only sparks interest in future STEM careers but also helps build a passionate and skilled community that will keep Tanfield Railway thriving for years to come.

“At the Reece Foundation, we believe that supporting young people today is key to ensuring the North East remains vibrant, resilient and full of opportunity in the future.”

Tanfield Tracks will work with local schools, community groups and engineering sector partners to offer mentorship, career guidance and real-world industry insight. The programme aligns closely with the Reece Foundation’s mission to advance engineering education and strengthen long-term prosperity in the North East.