Helping with funding

The running shed project is a big one, and unlike previous building projects that we have undertaken there is currently no grant aid for which it would be eligible, so that we need to raise the funds for it ourselves. Even doing much of the work using our own volunteer labour, we initially estimated that we would need to raise at least £46,000 to build the Running Shed, to cover materials and the parts of the work for which we have to employ contractors.

Since then, costs have risen a bit, partly because some further bits of the work have been identified where contractors will be needed, so that we currently estimate the total cost of the project as just under £49,000. Of course, it would be nice if we could simply pay contractors to do all of the building work, but that would be even more expensive!

The fundraising appeal has now closed, so the material below about buying bricks no longer applies. But, the building is not yet finished, and so there is still scope for you to help the project by volunteering: details of this are given below.

You can help us by buying a brick at £2.50 each, and there are three ways in which you can do this:

in person at our shop;
by completing the donation form which can be accessed by clicking here (and will open in a new browser tab or window), and then returning this to us at: The Station, Moor Road, Hunslet, Leeds, LS10 2JQ; or
if you are buying a number of bricks, or are buying a brick and want to have it engraved (as described below), then we can take the details by telephone (0113 271 0320), and accept payment by credit or debit card. We accept most payment cards (except American Express & Diners Card), but only for payments of more than £5.

The "brickometer" currently stands at over £18,000, which is a magnificent result, but even so we still need more!

A Name Engraved on a Brick

Another possibility which was available was to have a name engraved on a brick which will be used in the construction of the running shed. This possibility has now closed, as the last batch of bricks has had to be sent off for engraving in order for us to get them back in time to be used.

a brick, with the message 'help us build a Running Shed'

These bricks will be placed in a prominent position on the Running Shed wall. Great idea for yourself, a present or in memory of someone. But the last batch of bricks has now been sent away to be engraved, so as to ensure that they are back ready to be used in time for when bricklaying will start.

The first batch of bricks were engraved last year, and if you have ordered a brick that is in this first batch then you can view it in the shop. The picture below shows this first batch of engraved bricks, when it had been collected from the engravers in Birmingham by one of our volunteers.

engraved bricks after collection

Helping by volunteering

We are always happy to receive offers from anybody to contribute as a volunteer to the work of the railway. If you have particular skills that might be useful in this project then we will be particularly happy to hear from you, but don't be put off from offering if you haven't. Running the railway involves all sorts of tasks, and many of our volunteers contribute to all sorts of these. So, if you can help with some other activity, then it may free up others to put more time into this project.

Also, because the railway is run entirely by volunteers, we are very well aware of the importance of training, particularly given the historic nature of many of the technologies that we use. So, even if you do not have any particular skill that would be needed for this project, if you are willing to learn then we will be happy to try to train you.

Separate pages give more details about becoming a member of the railway and about contributing as a volunteer to any of the aspects of the work of the railway.

Following the project

To help inform subscribers to the appeal of the progress with the Running Shed project, we produced a newsletter at the beginning of March 2016 and sent this out to all donors for whom we had addresses recorded. A copy of this can be accessed by clicking this link - but it is a large file (3.2MB), and so may take a little while to download.

Also, you will be able to follow the progress of the work on the Running Shed by checking back regularly on this website. Since we are all volunteers, however, we can't promise to keep it updated in real-time! Or, you are welcome to visit the railway when it is open and ask whether you can see the progress - although this may not always be possible for safety reasons, since the site of the project is next to an area where trains may be operating.

If you have any questions about the Running Shed, or would like to discuss further sponsorship opportunities, please contact one of our volunteer team at the railway or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Go on to the next stage in this project.

Return to the overall description of this project.