## Annual Report 2025 ## Derwent Valley Light Railway Society As always, the calendar year starts with the necessary preparations for the running season and 2025 was no different. The off season through the winter is key to our ability to run through the rest of the year, as we work our way through maintenance and fitness to run tests. ## Maintenance There is a never-ending list of railway repairs, and we’re grateful to everyone who gets involved in the work that is needed. Through the year, we repaired and painted 3 PWay trolleys, replaced 9 timbers in the 6A turnout, new doors were made for the banana van ready to be fitted in 2026 and the station benches were repainted. We also did lifting equipment checks, FTRs, fire extinguisher testing, legionnaires and portable appliance testing through the year, alongside the regular garden works. ## Rolling Stock As we all know, maintaining heritage rolling stock is a never ending list of work. Sylvia needed the south side repairing and repainting and the MK1 35405 south side was also painted. The Tuesday working group were busy. They fitted the exhauster into Drewry DC2164 and had the loco ready for passenger service. They continued work on the restoration of the Coles Crane. They were working on the restoration of Churchill and fitted the vacuum system. Restoration work on the Kerr Stuart was also in progress. 03079 had buffer beam and rods repainted, in yellow Work continued on the North Eastern coach led by Mike Sugden and his team. And we welcomed Carpenter to the railway, bought and being restored by one of our members bringing our loco count to 13. ## Training In addition to our regular cycle of training, PTS training, driver, guard and signal training and assessments, we held 1[st] aider training in April, thank you to everyone who has volunteered to take on this role around the railway. ## Events Events have become a bigger part of our year. 2025 was a busy year for visits to the railway. Through the year we had visits from the White Rose machinery group, Inside Track holidays, and a night shoot photo event organised by DVLR member Chris Gee. All of these events bring in much needed income for the railway. We also supported the YMF with their Home Front event in August Running Evening was held on 25[th] July and was a special evening. There were over 160 attendees, including Ken Cooke whose 100[th] birthday was celebrated as part of the evening. The evening was also the launch event for the newly restored Drewry, now regularly pulling passenger trains and a very popular addition to the railway. August saw something a little different. The railway hosted Paul Merton at Murton as he filmed for his Channel 4 series ‘ Driving Amazing Trains ‘. Paul had wanted to experience a pump trolley ride and as we know, we are one of the few locations where this is possible. Paul was hosted by Allan Briggs, who appeared in the show explaining about the DVLR and the pump trolley. As always the year ends with the Christmas at Murton event and again we were joined on the railway by Fladam, this year as the Reindeer Detectives. ## Yorkshire Museum of Farming The YMF introduced charging for train rides (£1 per ride, £5 for a whole day family ticket). The change in approach has secured income for the railway, via the YMF railway account that is used to purchase diesel, oil and ground works. ## Passenger Numbers We had 54 running days in 2025 which was slightly down on 2024, and with the fewer running days carried less passengers, 14527 down from 16543 in 2024. The season started in March, with a quiet Easter period but numbers improved through the year. Our driver experiences proved popular – with 14 silver experiences through the year raising £1800 in income. ## People Our membership numbers remained fairly consistent through the year, at 200 members. Trevor Humbey stepped down as roster clerk during the year. Trevor had held this role for many years, and made a complex role look easy. We must at this point thank Trevor for the time and commitment to this role. Mike Wilcox stepped up to take on the role, and we’re very grateful to him for picking up this tricky role within the railway. Very sadly, on the 26[th] June 2025, railway archivist, guard and true gentleman, Jonathan Stockwell passed away. Jonathan was such a key figure at the railway. Author of the famous DVLR Blue Book, keeper of our archive and all-round well-loved friend and colleague, Jonathan is hugely missed by all of us. A plaque was installed on the station building in Jonathan’s memory at the running evening, when we were joined by Jonathan’s family to pay tribute to him and his huge contribution to our society. Then in August we had more sad news, when we learnt of the sudden death of Kevin Wood. Kevin volunteered with us in the signal box and was well known for cooking up breakfast on the signal box stove. In summary, the Trustees are pleased with the progress during 2025. We continued to keep a strong financial position whilst investing in progress around the railway. Our events are increasingly popular and the changes to funding with the YMF have supported our stable position. We are hugely grateful to all the volunteers who give up their time to support the railway in so many different ways. We know that 2026 is bringing more positive developments that will help us to maintain our heritage railway, attract and entertain our visitors and create a safer working environment for our working volunteers. **Profit and Loss Statement - Detailed** Year 2025 |**INCOMES**
**Donation**
Donations
Gift Aid
**Interests (received)**
Interests Earned
**Membership**
Membership Subscription
**Other Incomes**
Other Incomes
Running Days payments
Thomas Income
**Sales**
Classroom hire
Driver Experience
Sales
**Total:**
**EXPENSES**
**Bank charges**
Bank Charges
**Classroom**
Classroom
**events**
Events
Training Courses
**Fuel**
Fuel
**General Business Expenses**
Advertising
Books & Subscriptions
Miscellaneous Expenses
Supplies
Tool Acquisitions
**Insurance**
Insurance
**IT**
IT Services
**Kerr Stuart**
Kerr Stuart
**Loco repairs**
Rolling stock repairs
**Mileage Money**
Loco Mileage
**Miniature railway**
Miniature Railway
**Newsletter**
Newsletter
**Postage**
Postage
**Repair & Gen. Maintenance**
Building Repair & Maint.
Other Repair & Gen. Maint
**Shop Stock**|**+£8,596.97**
**31.44%**
+£7,026.83
25.70%
+£1,570.14
5.74%
**+£1,175.56**
**4.30%**
+£1,175.56
4.30%
**+£2,760.00**
**10.09%**
+£2,760.00
10.09%
**+£7,073.00**
**25.87%**
+£4,410.00
16.13%
+£1,880.00
6.88%
+£783.00
2.86%
**+£7,736.15**
**28.29%**
+£100.00
0.37%
+£1,845.00
6.75%
+£5,791.15
21.18%| |---|---| ||**+£27,341.68**
**-£246.07**
**1.14%**
-£246.07
1.14%
**-£14.00**
**0.06%**
-£14.00
0.06%
**-£1,893.83**
**8.77%**
-£1,053.83
4.88%
-£840.00
3.89%
**-£20.01**
**0.09%**
-£20.01
0.09%
**-£1,142.57**
**5.29%**
-£75.44
0.35%
-£219.60
1.02%
-£428.98
1.99%
-£84.59
0.39%
-£333.96
1.55%
**-£480.40**
**2.22%**
-£480.40
2.22%
**-£1,436.80**
**6.65%**
-£1,436.80
6.65%
**-£49.13**
**0.23%**
-£49.13
0.23%
**-£6,397.29**
**29.61%**
-£6,397.29
29.61%
**-£550.00**
**2.55%**
-£550.00
2.55%
**-£1,927.42**
**8.92%**
-£1,927.42
8.92%
**-£1,018.00**
**4.71%**
-£1,018.00
4.71%
**-£141.98**
**0.66%**
-£141.98
0.66%
**-£2,745.72**
**12.71%**
-£1,765.97
8.17%
-£979.75
4.54%
**-£2,383.31**
**11.03%**| December 2025 - Page 1 |Shop Stock
**Tools**
Equipment
Tools
**Total:**
**Proft/loss:**|-£2,383.31
11.03%
**-£1,157.12**
**5.36%**
-£680.19
3.15%
-£476.93
2.21%| |---|---| ||**-£21,603.65**| ||**+£5,738.03**| December 2025 - Page 2 Independent examiner's report on the accounts Se¢tion A Independent Examlner's Report Report tothe trust•*s Derwent V?118y Light Railway SOc￿ty 31112r2025 On aecounts fr*rtho énded Charfty no 16f any) 1181623 Sot out on pa40¥ I report kn the tnJ$lees on nry eX•￿In8￿.0￿ olthe aCC￿nts of the sbove charity (Yhe TrnsVI forth8 year ended 3111212025. Ro$ponslblllli05 and b081s of report As the dTr3riWs Irustees. you ar8 responsible br the prepar81ion of the 8cGwnls In aCc￿4&n￿ wilh IM8 requltefftent8 ofthe Charibes NLt2011 Ilhe Acri. I report in ￿Spect of my trxaminolion of the Twsls 8C(x)unls c*rriEd out under Secbon 145 of the 2011 Acland in earrwng out my exarnlnai￿n. I have followed all the ap¥icèble Oirections gi￿￿ by the Charity Commlssknn Ur￿8[ section 1451Sllbl of the ACL Independènt I have cemyeled rny examlnallon. I confirm that no rn8terial mèttfyrs havé •x•mlnofs 5tst•m•nt come lo my 8ttention in ¢onr￿Ction wiu) the examination which gives Ine Gause to believe that in. any maierlal respea.. th8 ac(x)unling mc¥)rds were not kept in 8C(x)rdance ¥Mth sethn 130 of the Charities Act, or the attounts did not accord with tha acawn*ng records.. or Ihe aGrounls not comply wilh the appllcawe requirernenls concerning the fom7 and wntenl of accounts Set out in the Charibes (Accounts arKI Repulsl Regulat￿n$ 2008 Oth￿ thin 8ny requirement ihal the 8ttounls give a'lrue and fair. view which is not a matter Jnsidered as part of an Independent examination. I have rK) concerns and have wtne auoss no other matter5 in connection with the ex8minalion to which attenlk)n Should be drawn in Ihis ieport In order to enable 8 prepar un¢JerslarKJing of Iht 8ccounts to be ￿zthe￿. Slgned.. Ilamè= Ao/0 Rotevart prof698ional qualthcaiionisl or b¢xly Addr8s8.'