ABOUT | SVRCT

About us

The SVR Charitable Trust was established in 2012. It has already made substantial contributions towards various projects on the Railway such as the launch and ongoing operation of the Heritage Apprenticeship Scheme (HAS), track re-laying, building and rolling stock refurbishment. Find out more about Severn Valley Railway History.

Our Vision

The Severn Valley Railway’s continued success depends upon its ability to provide an excellent day out for the general visitor and rail enthusiast alike. However, maintaining and operating one of the world's leading heritage railways is not an easy task in the 21st century.

Looking to the future, plans are being developed to make further investments in the infrastructure and rolling stock to ensure the continued preservation and operation of the Severn Valley Railway.

All of us, who have supported the Railway over the years, want to see it protected as our legacy to future generations, and for the enjoyment today of the Railway’s many visitors and volunteers.

The Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust is committed to supporting the Railway through its fundraising, and building its endowment Future Fund. We want the Railway to meet the needs of future generations. It is our legacy.
Around 1,700 volunteers are at the heart of the Railway and give life to everything we do. In recognition of this it is planned to build on this vital volunteer support and invest to become the ‘best in class’ reference for conservation and technical skills in maintaining heritage steam locomotives and rolling stock.

Our Vehicles

Over the past 20 years the Trust has taken ownership of a variety of rolling stock to ensure their long term security. Find out more here.

Our Team

The Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust consists of a Board of Trustees and several volunteers plus a part time Project Manager to help run our operation.

Trustees

Judith Meredith - Chairman and Trustee

Paul Fathers - Vice Chairman and Trustee

Paul Hobson - Trustee/Finance

Michael Howard - Trustee/Company Secretary

Ron Treverton-Jones - Trustee

Dhushyanthan Surendra Kumar - Trustee

Chris Walton – Trustee and Chairman of SVR Holdings Plc

Hugh McQuade – Honorary Vice President

David Owen OBE – Honorary Vice President

Volunteers/Operations

Project Manager – Sarah Thompson

Finance Administrator - Paul Knighton
Company Secretary and Legacies – Michael Howard
Grants Manager – Judith Meredith
Finance – Paul Hobson
Fundraising – Dhushy Surendra Kumar
Rolling Stock – Paul Fathers
Endowment Fund - Ron Treverton-Jones

Minutes Secretary - Richard Shaw

Membership - Sue Cranmore
IT Volunteer - Amy Baker

Articles of Association

You can download a copy of the SVRCT's Articles of Association here.

Our Board Members

Judith Meredith - Chairman

Judith Meredith was introduced to the Severn Valley Railway 50 years ago and is a long-standing member and shareholder. She was a volunteer for a number of years.

Judith graduated in Law in 1980, and worked in insurance for over 20 years. This gave her good analytical skills, and an understanding of working within regulatory guidance. She moved into teaching in 2004. Both careers nurtured a deep interest in the personal development of those around her which she believes could make a valuable contribution to the SVR.

Paul Fathers Vice Chairman

Paul Fathers is well known to many people on the SVR. He’s been a staunch supporter and volunteer since his teenage years back in the 1960s. With a professional engineering background, he brings a wealth of experience with him. In his ‘day job’ Paul is a regional inspector for the Security System and Alarms Inspections Board. He has been involved in many SVR development projects, and was a founding member and vice chairman of the SVR Rolling Stock Trust, the precursor of the current SVR Charitable Trust. He will play a key role in assisting the Charity to develop its fundraising strategy and contribute to its governance.

Michael Howard - Company Secretary

Michael Howard has supported the SVR since 1968 when he joined as a junior day member. He remained as a financial supporter until he retired in 2015 from his position as a senior manager at Worcestershire County Council, having spent all his working life in procurement in the UK, Europe and the USA in both private and public sectors. He then became a volunteer with the SVR Charitable Trust where he has managed legacies, liaising with solicitors, executors and relatives. He also acts as a host at events.

Paul Hobson - Trustee

Paul has been a member of the SVR since 1970. He became Treasurer of the SVRA Kidderminster
branch (custodians of Pannier Tanks 7714 and 5764) and joined the main SVRA Committee as the
Kidderminster Branch as a Trustee until the organisation merged with SVR(G) in 2016. Paul joined the
Board of SVR(H) in 1998 as the SVRA's Representative Director and remained in post for 5 years. An
early Trustee Director of the Rolling Stock Trust, Paul has responsibility for general finance and banking matters.

Ron Treverton-Jones - Trustee

As the Chairman of stockbrokers EFG Harris Allday, Ron was already familiar with the Charitable Trust's work before he joined the board of trustees. Not only was he the chairman of our investment committee, but also his company EFG Harris Allday joined our Corporate Partnership Club, and supported the Railway through event sponsorship.

With his robust background in investment, Ron is particularly interested in improving the financial wellbeing of the SVR, and is keen on developing a new generation of engineers within the Heritage Skills Training Academy. Ron's expertise in helping to identify trusts and grant-making bodies is proving invaluable, as the Charitable Trust looks increasingly to these sources of income in the future.

Dr Dhushyanthan Kumar - Trustee

Dr Dhushyanthan Kumar holds a number of high-profile medical roles including director of clinical audit for the Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN), which manages trauma outcome data on behalf of NHS England, and roles for organisations such as the Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee and East Midlands Ambulance service.
Dhushy has been a trustee of a number of charities including BASICS (British Association for Intermediate Care) Trauma Care, Headway and the Air Ambulance Service, and has loved trains since boyhood.

Chris Walton - Trustee, and Chairman of SVR (Holdings) Plc

Chris has been actively involved with the SVR since 1969, as both a guard and then as Bridgnorth station master for 33 years. He’s served at board level for 40 years. Before retiring as a chartered management accountant, he held roles at senior management level across several leading automotive companies.