## THE GELERT TRUST ANNUAL REPORT 2025 Registered Charity 1171674 38 WOODBOURNE ROAD, SMETHWICK, B67 5LZ OFFICIAL The Gelert Trust – Annual Report 2025 ## Trustees David Allan Lewis Dittrich Neil Evans Graham Farr Andrew Goodwin John Kerr Bob Menzies Martyn Owen Nigel Watkinson Mark Seale Myles Jones 1 OFFICIAL The Gelert Trust – Annual Report 2025 ## Contents Trustees.....................................................................................................................1 Introduction...............................................................................................................3 Education and Involvement.........................................................................................4 Engineering and Maintenance.....................................................................................5 Funding and Finance...................................................................................................6 Social Media...............................................................................................................7 Preserving Gelert’s History..........................................................................................8 The Future..................................................................................................................9 2 OFFICIAL The Gelert Trust – Annual Report 2025 ## Introduction 2025 was another satisfactory year for The Gelert Trust. Gelert’s operation at the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway (WHHR) has continued, providing opportunities for both training and education, as well as operational experience. The Trust continues to explore ways of securing Gelert’s future, how best to celebrate the locomotive’s rich heritage and educate a wider audience about the story of this popular locomotive. The Trust has worked closely with the WHHR to establish a clear partnership in maintaining and celebrating Gelert which has become popular both with volunteers and with visitors to the railway. When not operating or under maintenance Gelert is stored under cover in the Museum of the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway. 3 OFFICIAL The Gelert Trust-Annual Report 2025 OFFICIAL The Gelert Trust – Annual Report 2025 ## Education and Involvement A volunteer has offered support in updating the current website. Commitment from trustees and the volunteers have opened discussions about how best to use this, both for attracting involvement and for education. It is also hoped to develop donation facilities, creating an online shop and other key elements to improve the site. Traffic will be exchanged with the Facebook page when amendments have been made. During the year Gelert was utilized 43 times with 7 different drivers (2 trustees), 6 firemen (2 trustees) and carried out 3 all day driver experiences with 3 evening ones also. The use of social media to share work schedules has been a feature of the trusts work in 2025. Work schedules always need to be well communicated to ensure that all Trustees are given the opportunity to offer their support or guidance. Continuing to improve this will be worked on during the 2026 operating season so that new volunteers can be well supported by more experienced Trustees. The practical use of the engine for operations is always defined by the structure of the WHHR timetable. However, the WHHR has increasingly depended on the use of Gelert due to the non-availability of other motive power, thereby increasing opportunities for training and increasing experience. In addition, working parties have continued, both to deal with ongoing routine maintenance, and with ongoing engineering improvements. **----- Start of picture text -----**
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OFFICIAL The Gelert Trust – Annual Report 2025 ## Engineering and Maintenance Gelert performed well again during the 2025 season – with Gelert the only working steam locomotive at the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway (WHHR) during this year Gelert was used for all steam days. During the later stages of the year an examination and report was produced by a WHR Ltd volunteer for the condition of the valve gear and motion on Gelert’s left hand side. As part of the exam the motion work was removed with all parts examined for their condition. The report produced showed that Gelert is in need of remedial work as many of the parts were worn, this was to be expected as part of general wear and tear of using the locomotive. With this information in mind Gelert was reassembled as there was nothing requiring immediate remedy and she was used for the rest of the 2025 season. The report has been shared within the trust and a plan is to be made to remedy these issues during the “10 year” overhaul which will be undertaken during 2028. Following the end of the season the locomotive underwent the usual winter maintenance in preparation for the following year. **----- Start of picture text -----**
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OFFICIAL The Gelert Trust – Annual Report 2025 ## Funding and Finance The financial viability of the operation of Gelert remains a key priority for the trust. In 2025 the trust continued its work with the WHHR to investigate the WHHRs contribution to the locomotive ten-year overhaul, which is now only two years away. The trust believes that the best way to celebrate and educate others about Gelert is through its continued operation in a public environment where adults and children can see, hear, and smell the locomotive, interacting with it and being inspired by an industry of yesteryear, inspiring the community of today. Our work with the WHHR and ensuring there is a financial commitment for Gelert remained a key priority for 2025, alongside seeking to develop a raft of other funding initiatives. 7 OFFICIAL The Gelert Trust – Annual Report 2025 ## Social Media Like in previous years the trust has been using a Facebook page as its main information outlet. It is used to promote Gelert but it is also used to share the efforts of our volunteers and educate our followers of the history of Gelert. Regular updates have been shared of maintenance undertaken and of when Gelert has been running on the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway. Included in these updates are means of enquiring about volunteering in any aspects of Gelert at the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway. The page's audience and engagement has continued to grow over the last year with the likes/followers growing to over 2,500 accounts. The main age groups following the page have been within the 25-34 and 65+ age brackets. The posts are also regularly shared into groups dedicated to railways such as ours giving us a bigger reach into showing Gelert and its history. Facebook is regularly used for organizing volunteer work parties particularly in the wintertime when the major maintenance is undertaken. An email group overlaps with that of the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway and is also used for internal organization of work parties so Gelert can be maintained using the volunteer labour we have most effectively. Discussions continue how to improve promotion of Gelert and The Trust, using both this and the development of the website. 8 OFFICIAL The Gelert Trust – Annual Report 2025 ## Preserving Gelert’s History The trust is committed to developing methods of safely storing key documents to the continuing story of Gelert. An online ‘cloud’ system is being used to manage historical archive documents, such as drawing, previous orders, key letters and correspondence and keep current trust documents such as meeting record, financial records, and any current records of the trusts activities, which will then form an historical record in the future. This will also be used for collecting and preserving information on the history and continuing story of Gelert. It is planned for the website to display much of this information so that it can be available to as wide an audience as possible. The information boards provided in 2021 to give passengers details of the historical significance of Gelert when not in use and on display continue to be updated with information on Gelert’s history. 9 OFFICIAL The Gelert Trust – Annual Report 2025 ## The Future Discussions continue on how to promote Gelert and the Trust, the use of the Facebook page has been a continued success with engagement expanding _._ Growing involvement in the work of the Trust is also an ongoing priority. The Trustees will continue to seek to appoint further Trustees in the coming year, both to increase numbers, and particularly to increase participation by younger members. The trust believes that the best way to celebrate and educate others about Gelert’s history, and the traditional skills involved in operating and maintaining it, is through its continued operation in a public environment where adults and children can see, hear, and smell the locomotive, interacting with it and learning about an industry of yesterday, inspiring the community of today, aided by modern tools where appropriate. After the Covid pandemic, it was a challenge to engage and encourage new volunteers to work with the trust in the maintenance and development work on Gelert. However, it is pleasing that progress has continued to be steady during 2025. 10 OFFICIAL CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES ThèGELERT T￿￿1 Recei tsand ments accounts CC16a For the PWK>d To Section A Receipts and payments UnrestrKted funds Restricted funds Endowment fvnds Total funds Last year the{￿r•*It ioth• neare•t£ A1 Rocol I￿60 Ghl•kl Int4rost 1,060 Sth tof41(Gr088 Incon￿ for AR) an A3P ments nk¢hoiu•s IRtJb S￿t0 A4 Asset and lTrveBtment Sub to Net 0freC•lp*￿n￿) A5 Transfets between lund> A6 Cash funds last Jwf end 8h51 7.871 CCXX R1 •y￿l￿￿ ISSI Section 8 Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unre5tri¢ted funds k) n&Yest£ Restricted funds tr• f•&wevt£ Endowment funds tone4r￿t£ Categortes Oetails B1 Cash 7*71 nds funds tr• r*•reBtÉ funds ton￿￿tt Fw¥JknY*ldth*¥¥•t Gurr•nt y￿ul D•tsils JJO Curr•rtvilu• Detalls Co•tloptsMdl B4 Assets retslnad for th• charity's own us• lo Amn￿ldu0 Vthendu• Detsil$ BS Liabilities J)0 Print Name Date of approval of authetrwle &gnature CCXX R2￿J1￿8 ISSI