Why leave money to the Bluebell Railway Trust?

If individuals wish to leave money to the Bluebell Railway in their Will, they can, particularly if they are a member, leave these funds to the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society. However, if they include a clause in their Will leaving the amount or asset to be donated to "Bluebell Railway Trust - Registered Charity No. 292497" such monies going directly to the Trust will potentially be eligible for inheritance tax relief on their Estate, as can the value of railway memorabilia and collections left to the Trust.

In these days when many more individual Estates exceed the nil rate band for inheritance tax this can make a significant difference with inheritance tax at 40%.

Further details will also be found under "Other ways to give" on the 50th Anniversary Appeal web site.

Gift-Aid it! Lifetime gifts to the Bluebell Railway Trust under the Gift Aid Scheme can of course attract tax recovery by the Charity at 25% of the amount donated which, again, is not available to the Preservation Society. Higher rate tax payers are also able to claim additional relief from the tax they have paid via their tax return.

If donors wish their gift or legacy to be used for a particular purpose or project then this can be specified either when the gift is made or when the Will is drafted and these monies will then be held within the Bluebell Railway Trust as a "Restricted Fund".

This ensures that the Trustees expend this money in accordance with the wishes of the donor, otherwise the funds will be held in the Trust's general fund and dispensed under the Trust's normal funding criteria which are detailed below.

Currently, Restricted Funds are held for (amongst others) Infrastructure/Extension, East Grinstead Station, Bluebell Railway Atlantic Group, Maunsell Loco 847, the Standard 2 Locomotive project and the Friends of Sheffield Park (SP Platform 1 Canopy appeal).

The Bluebell Railway Trust Gift Aid, Standing Order and Donation forms, and details of online giving, are available here.

The Bluebell Railway Trust Funding Criteria

A number of questions have been asked about how the Bluebell Railway Trust decides which projects to support by way of funding and the following is a summary of the criteria operated by the Trust trustees for this purpose.

1. The Trust operates its general fund together with separate restricted funds where monies are raised or donated for particular projects.
Where the Trust is used by other groups for fund raising purposes all fundraising material and documentation must be approved by the Trust before being issued.
2. Gift aid claims are made on both general fund and restricted fund donations where the gift aid certificates are provided by the individual donors.
3. Legacies can be received into the Trust for either the general fund or restricted funds but gift aid does not apply to legacies.
4. Current and potential projects are reviewed by the Trust trustees on a regular basis at their meetings throughout the year. Elected representatives from the BRPS to the Trust attend and contribute to these meetings.
5. Assets in Trust ownership receive priority for funding over assets owned by other organisations.
6. Where an application is received from the Bluebell Railway for funding, the project must not only fall within the Trust's principal objectives but expenditure must also be outside of the Bluebell Railway's own budget and be likely to remain so.
In this way, the Trust is used to enhance or support existing projects but is not a substitute source of funds for Bluebell Railway unbudgeted expenditure or general maintenance costs.
7. All projects for items located on the Bluebell Railway must firstly be approved by the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society. This ensures that any work or resources allocated to the project fall within the Railway's current or future operating plans and do not interfere with the best use of financial and man power resources as well as locomotive or carriage and wagon workshop programmes.

Using the above criteria the Bluebell Railway Trust has provided the means for substantial funds to be raised for example in relation to the Horsted Keynes carriage shed, the Woodpax project, the Atlantic Locomotive project and other restricted funds as well as providing financial support for research, training, welfare and volunteer facilities, buildings and structures, and rolling stock that would otherwise be unlikely to find funds or restoration time within the Railway's budget in the near future if at all.

Return to the Bluebell Railway Trust home page, or our Gift Aid, Standing Order and Donation form - 50th Anniversary Appeal

or go to the Bluebell Railway Home Page,
the Bluebell's Timetable or details of Special Events